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A hearing has been scheduled in lawsuits brought by climate activists against the development of the Rosebank and Jackdaw projects, signaling the resumption of legal challenges against these two major oil and gas projects.
This development comes in the wake of a ruling issued by the Supreme Civil Court in Scotland, which increases uncertainty about the future of fossil fuel production in the United Kingdom.
The country’s Supreme Civil Court has set a date for a hearing on November 12, to consider two cases filed by climate advocates Uplift and Greenpeace against the development of the Rosebank and Jackdaw projects in the North Sea.
This suggests the projects may need to reapply for planning permission from the Labor government, which opposes the development of local fossil fuel projects, more than the previous Tory government.
The Rosebank and Jackdaw projects are being developed by Equinor, in partnership with Ithaca Energy and Shell, respectively. Equinor confirms that the Rosebank project will account for about 7% of oil production in the United Kingdom, while Shell claims that the Jackdaw project will produce enough gas to heat the equivalent of approximately 1.4 million homes in the United Kingdom.
The previous conservative government granted approval to develop the two projects in 2023 and 2022, as it was keen to enhance local production of oil and gas. However, campaigners claimed that the government should have taken into account emissions from the burning of oil and gas from these fields by consumers, such as those from cars, boilers and power stations, which are known as “Scope 3 emissions”.
Last month, the government announced that it would not appeal the two judicial review requests. This followed a landmark legal ruling in June, when the UK Supreme Court found that a local council in England had to consider Scope 3 emissions when it granted planning permission for an oil exploration project at Horse Hill in Surrey.
This was followed by a decision from the High Court in London this month, which also refused to grant planning permission for a coal mining project in West Cumbria, northwest England, due to failure to take into account Scope 3 emissions. Since coming to power in July, the Labor government has delivered on its election promises to move away from… About oil and gas, in favor of renewable energy sources.
The government raised the tax rate on oil and gas exploration companies, and plans to stop issuing new licenses for oil and gas exploration in new fields. However, it indicated that existing licenses have not been cancelled, and it is currently participating in consultations on new environmental directives for the industry.
A Shell spokesman said that no decision had been made on the merits of the lawsuit, adding that the company would argue in November that “current permits to develop Jackdaw should remain in effect.” Shell explained that “Jackdaw is a vital project for achieving energy security in the United Kingdom, and it is already underway.”
For his part, an Equinor spokesman explained that the company did not make any comment regarding the ongoing legal issues, but he added that the Rosebank project will attract investments, create job opportunities, and enhance energy security, stressing that it is a “vital project for the United Kingdom.”
On the other hand, Tessa Khan, executive director of the climate advocacy group Uplift, said she was “relieved” that the arguments against the Rosebank project “will now get a fair hearing in court.” While Ithaca Energy did not issue any comment.
