Premier Andy Burnham says the project will “protect hundreds of jobs and help keep millions of homes warm this winter.”
The issue has divided Burnham's Labour Party, with the ambition of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions pitted against the need to increase domestic energy supplies and ease the pressure of soaring household costs.
When Labour, under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, returned to power in 2024, the party promised not to issue any new licences for gas and oil extraction in order to move the country away from fossil fuels.