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The decision to allow the UK’s largest untapped oil field to go ahead is facing a legal challenge at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. Greenpeace and Uplift brought a joint judicial review against regulators who gave their approval for the development of the Rosebank oil field, located off Shetland, and Jackdaw gas field, located off Aberdeen. The groups are hoping to halt the projects, saying their impact on emissions has been “unlawfully ignored.” However, the oil companies involved claim the developments are necessary.
If the challenge is successful, companies must conduct environmental impact assessments before drilling. Protesters gathered outside the Scottish court to call for work on the oil fields to stop. Consent for Rosebank was granted last year by the regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA). Shell’s proposals for Jackdaw were initially rejected on environmental grounds, but were later approved by the NSTA in 2022.
Earlier this year, the UK government opted not to fight any legal battles over Rosebank and Jackdaw, effectively conceding that the original decisions were unlawful. This followed a Supreme Court ruling that new projects’ total environmental impact, including emissions from the use of fossil fuels by end consumers, must be considered by regulators. It is thought that oil companies will accept that their decisions to proceed with Rosebank and Jackdaw were unlawful. As a result, they will concentrate on how to progress the projects, given that work is underway.
Uplift, Greenpeace, and Lord Deben, former chairman of the government’s Climate Change Committee, are among those opposed to the work. Many oil and gas workers have already lost their jobs due to the industry’s declining employment rate. They’re hoping for job security in the clean-energy field, instead of traditional fossil-fuel energy sources. Norwegian energy company Equinor and UK-based Ithaca Energy jointly acquired Rosebank field. Equinor declined to comment on the court challenge against the project, saying instead that it is working in collaboration with all related entities on the project, and added that Rosebank is essential to the UK, resulting in local investment, jobs, and energy security
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