Legal challenge to Rosebank oil field given go-ahead

A ineligible situation implicit the determination to springiness consent to the UK’s largest untapped lipid tract has been fixed the go-ahead by the Court of Session.

Greenpeace and Uplift jointly brought judicial reviews to halt the improvement of Rosebank lipid tract and the Jackdaw state field.

The situation groups accidental that erstwhile consent was granted for the fields disconnected Shetland and Aberdeen, the interaction of emissions caused by burning extracted lipid and state was “unlawfully ignored” by regulators.

If the situation is successful, operators would person to resubmit biology assessments for support earlier drilling tin begin.

The cases volition heard by the Court of Session successful Edinburgh connected 12 November.

Uplift accused regulators of “failing to beryllium transparent” successful granting the licences and said Rosebank would harm the oversea beingness successful the North Sea.

Tessa Khan, clime lawyer and enforcement manager of Uplift, said: “Rosebank is simply a atrocious woody for Britain truthful it’s a alleviation that the arguments against it volition present get a just proceeding successful court.

“Now the authorities accepts the determination to o.k. the tract was unlawful, the lipid and state companies that ain Rosebank are unsocial successful trying to thrust this disastrous task done court."

The UK authorities said successful August that it would not combat immoderate cases implicit Rosebank and Jackdaw.

This came aft the Supreme Court ruled successful June that regulators, specified arsenic the North Seas Transition Authority (NSTA), must see the full biology interaction of caller projects - including the mode fossil fuels are utilized by extremity consumers.

These are known arsenic Scope 3 emissions.

The Supreme Court's determination could inactive beryllium challenged by lipid companies, but Greenpeace said the UK government’s unwillingness to support the cases is “tacit acceptance" that the consent is unlawful.

Greenpeace’s clime squad leader, Mel Evans, said: “Both the authorities and the Supreme Court hold that you cannot disregard the emissions generated from burning fossil fuels.

“Equinor and Ithaca cognize this, and they cognize that the consents for these fields are unlawful.

“Despite this they are continuing to make them during this judicial review, putting people, marine life, and our clime astatine further risk.”

Norwegian vigor elephantine Equinor and British steadfast Ithaca Energy jointly ain the Rosebank field.

They said it would make astir 1,600 jobs during its operation and enactment astir 450 UK-based jobs during its lifetime.

Consent for drilling disconnected the seashore of Shetland was granted successful September past year.

Shell’s proposals to make Jackdaw, eastbound of Aberdeen, were approved successful 2022 aft initially being rejected connected biology grounds.

The Scottish authorities has said it has a "presumption against" caller lipid and state exploration.

However, First Minister John Swinney said successful June that it would inactive beryllium needed "for a play of time" to assistance the state conscionable its net-zero targets by 2045.

The UK authorities has pledged that lipid and state would play an important relation successful the system "for decades to come" arsenic the UK transitions to cleanable energy.

It is readying to consult aboriginal this twelvemonth connected its manifesto presumption not to contented caller lipid and state licences to research caller fields.

The helium NSTA person been contacted for statements.