Jackdaw Field – Offshore Oil and Gas Development in the North Sea

The Jackdaw project is a major gas field development located in the North Sea, around 250 kilometers east of Aberdeen, close to the UK–Norway maritime border. The investment involves the construction of a not permanently attended installation (NPAI), serving as a wellhead platform, which will be tied back to the existing Shearwater facility through a subsea pipeline of approximately 31 kilometers. The platform, consisting of a topside and a steel jacket, will be delivered under an EPCI model – engineering, procurement, construction, and installation – with fabrication carried out at Aker Solutions’ yard in Verdal, Norway.  

Aker Solutions was awarded the contract by Shell to execute the full scope of work, including delivery of the jacket with a pre-drilling deck in 2023 and the topside in 2024. At peak, the project is expected to engage more than 300 people. 

The technical scope of the project includes four production wells drilled from the Jackdaw platform, with the gas transported to Shearwater for further processing. At peak production, Jackdaw is expected to supply over six percent of the UK North Sea’s gas output, making it a project of strategic importance for the country’s energy security. At the same time, it faces regulatory challenges: in 2024, Greenpeace initiated legal proceedings against the UK government, questioning the validity of the project’s environmental approvals and its approach to Scope 3 emissions.  

A Scottish court later ruled that the existing permits may be invalid, although work can continue pending new consultations on downstream emissions. Obtaining final environmental clearances remains a critical factor for the further progress of the Jackdaw development.