The decision is qualified as “Historical victory” by Greenpeace, at the origin of the appeal. A Scottish court canceled, Thursday, January 30, the authorizations issued by the British authorities to the Shell and Equinor groups to develop the oil and gas fields in Rosebank and Jackdaw, in the North Sea.
The Court of Session, Scottish Jurisdiction responsible for examining the case, agreed with Greenpeace and the Uplift association, which argued that the authorizations had been granted illegally, because they had not taken into account the gas emissions indirect greenhouse effect generated by projects. In his decision, the judge canceled the authorizations and referred the ball to the authority of gas and oil (OGA, for “Oil and Gaz Auturity”), responsible for examining requests for the operation of fields of hydrocarbons.
Shell, owner of the Jackdaw gas deposit, and Equinor, the majority shareholder and operator of the Rosebank oil deposit, will therefore have to submit new authorization requests, with new environmental assessments. In the meantime, “No oil or gas can be extracted”according to the court decision.
Previous decision
The authorization of drilling in the oil -based oil field, located 145 kilometers (90 miles) off the Shetland Islands, in the extreme north of Scotland, had been granted in 2023. It is the largest deposit unexploited oil from the United Kingdom, the content of which is estimated at 300 million barrels. The borehole was to start between 2026 and 2030. The Jackdaw gas field, approved in 2022, is being operations 250 kilometers (155 miles) off the Scottish city of Aberdeen and was to begin to produce this year.
This decision was made after the British Supreme Court agreed, in June, to the opponents of another oil drilling project, to Horse Hill (South of England). She considered illegal the authorization granted, believing that the impact study should also focus on emissions induced by the consumption of oil produced on the site, in particular by its refining, and not only those caused by its extraction.
“It is a historical victory, the time when governments approved new drilling sites by ignoring their climate impact is over”welcomed in a press release Philip Evans, campaign manager within Greenpeace United Kingdom. “The court has recognized what environmental activists have said from the start: Rosebank and Jackdaw are illegal, and their global climatic impact must be fully taken into account”he added.
Labor turn
In August 2024, the Labor Government, who came to power a month before, announced that it would not defend the controversial development of these projects in court. For its part, Shell claims to have already spent more than 800 million pounds Sterling (956.8 million euros) since 2022 to develop Jackdaw. The British-Dutch giant called the government to “Act quickly” so that operators of the North Sea “May make decisions concerning [ces projets] »».
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“Jackdaw would heat 1.4 million British homes, at a time when old gas deposits reach the end of their production and the United Kingdom depends on gas imports to meet its energy needs”commented a shell spokesperson. During the hearing held in November, Shell had assured that Jackdaw had “Summer developed in accordance with all authorizations and permit”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced during the last COP29 in Baku the commitment of his country to reduce by“At least 81 %” Its greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 compared to 1990, as part of its climatic ambitions. The country, which aims for carbon neutrality in 2050, intends to completely decarbonize its electricity by 2030. But the Labor Party no longer promises to invest 28 billion pounds per year in the “green” economy in order to to favor budgetary orthodoxy.
The subject is particularly sensitive in Scotland, epicenter of the British oil and gas sector, and many jobs depend on the exploitation of hydrocarbons in the North Sea.
Source: Lemonde