Oil giant BP was today given permission to drill a controversial deep water well north west of Shetland.
North Uist, about 80 miles north-west of Shetland and in 4,232 feet of water, was due to be drilled in 2010, but was postponed following the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
The Stena Carron drillship is expected to start the well within days and the work is expected to take a few months.
The go-ahead for drilling follows what the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) called “detailed and extensive scrutiny” of BP’s environmental impact and emergency response plans.
It also came the day after Chancellor George Osborne unveiled the 2012 Budget, which included a £3billion tax allowance for fields deeper than 3,280 feet and with more than 180million barrels of reserves, aimed at the west of Shetland.
Energy Minister Charles Hendry said today’s announcement was positive news for the west of Shetland, but added: “Exploration should not come at a cost to the environment.
“That is why, before giving consent, my department has very carefully scrutinised BP’s plans and their emergency response measures to ensure their operations are conducted to the highest possible standards.”
BP had to provide proof it had taken into account recommendations of investigations into the Macondo disaster as part of the approval process.
The Stena Carron drillship’s emergency response readiness has also been looked into.
BP has fitted the ship with a new blow-out preventer – a key safety device – to comply with its own new enhanced voluntary standards.
A spokesman for BP said: “Ensuring our activities are managed safely and responsibly is our absolute priority. BP has applied lessons learnt from the Deepwater Horizon accident to its drilling organisation and capabilities worldwide, and is applying them fully to the planning and drilling of the North Uist well.
“We have been exploring West of Shetland since the early 1970s and have safely produced over 800million barrels of oil there.
“We are committed to continuing to explore opportunities in the region and have worked closely with the UK regulators throughout the planning and approval process for this well.”
Environmental campaigners, including Greenpeace, have previously said BP’s plan for tackling any oil spill was inadequate.
BP is operator on North Uist and 47.5% owner, with partners Nexen (35%), Faroe Petroleum (6.25%), Cieco (6.25%) and Idemitsu (5%).