MOSCOW, Jan 31 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) — The Court of Session of Scotland has invalidated the permits of the previous UK government for the development of the country’s largest oil and gas field, Rosebank, and the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea by Equinor and Shell, respectively, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
Earlier, activists from Greenpeace (considered an undesirable organisation in Russia) and the Uplift association filed three complaints with the Scottish court to review the permits for developing the fields. They argue that emissions of indirect origin were not considered when the permits were issued.
A judge agreed with the activists’ arguments and found the permits issued illegal.
Now the UK North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which replaced the Oil and Gas Authority, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will once again have to make decisions on whether to issue permits taking into account indirect emissions.
In 2022, the UK government granted Shell permission to develop the Jackdaw field, and in 2023, energy companies Equinor and Ithaca received permission to develop Rosebank as part of a joint venture.
— BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI