The field is being developed as part of the UK Government North Sea Transition deal, and will bring much needed energy security and investment in the UK while supporting the UK’s net zero target.
Supporting a managed energy transition
The field will be developed in two phases with a redeployed, refurbished Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO) tied to a subsea production system.
Start-up from Phase 1 is planned in 2026-2027. Oil will be transported to refineries by shuttle tankers, while gas will be exported through the West of Shetland Pipeline system.
The FPSO will be electrification-ready from day one, to allow it to be powered from shore when technology is qualified and matured, viability is confirmed and necessary regulatory consents are in place. This has the potential to reduce production emissions from Rosebank by over 70%. Before electrification, Rosebank will produce oil at around 12 kg CO2 a barrel, which will reduce to less than 3 kg CO2 after electrification. The North Sea average is currently approx. 20 kg CO2 per barrel.
Investing in the UK
At peak production the annual GVA of the field is estimated to be £2.1 billion, equivalent to 1% of the Scottish GDP. Meanwhile, the development is projected to support nearly 1,600 jobs at its peak.
According to a socioeconomic study based on data and analysis from Wood Mackenzie and Voar Energy, Rosebank is estimated to create GBP 8.1 billion of direct investment, of which GBP 6.3 billion is likely to be invested in UK-based businesses. Over the lifetime of the project, Rosebank will generate a total of GBP 24.1 billion of gross value added (GVA), comprising direct, indirect and induced economic impacts.
Equinor, together with our partners, is working with the supply chain to ensure that a substantial portion of the overall investment comes to Scotland and the UK. With this aim, Equinor held a supplier day in Aberdeen in partnership with EIC in order to increase the number of local suppliers to tender.
Equinor is committed to a just and fair transition. In the UK, the oil and gas industry supports over 270,000 jobs, but the oil and gas sector is in decline. Rosebank is expected to contribute highly skilled jobs, with over 1,600 jobs estimated to be directly generated by the development of the project at the height of the construction phase in Q2 2025. Peak UK-based employment – consisting of nearly 1,200 direct, indirect, and induced jobs – is expected in Q3 2025. Across the lifetime of the field, Rosebank will support significant employment with an average of 450 UK-based full time direct, indirect and induced jobs.
Equinor is also working to help develop the skills needed to continue oil and gas development but also to build the workforce of the future to work in our offshore wind farms and other low carbon solutions business.