A authorized problem over the choice to present consent to the UK’s largest untapped oil area has begun in Edinburgh.
Greenpeace and Uplift have collectively raised a judicial evaluate on the Courtroom of Session, arguing consent for the Rosebank oil area northwest of Shetland should be paused and reassessed.
The 2 environmental teams are additionally arguing towards the exploration of the Jackdaw oil area off Aberdeen in the identical authorized case.
The previous Conservative-led UK authorities authorized Shell’s proposals to develop the Jackdaw area in 2022 and cleared Equinor and Ithaca Vitality’s plans to drill within the Rosebank area final September.
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Pic: PA
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Pic: PA
The marketing campaign teams are arguing that the federal government, together with the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), failed to think about the total influence of emissions attributable to burning oil and fuel from the fields.
They’re additionally arguing their causes for approving the schemes weren’t clear and that the event will disrupt a marine protected space.
Activists calling for the tasks to be halted held a protest exterior the courtroom on Tuesday morning.
Picture:
Pic: PA
Picture:
Pic: PA
Picture:
Pic: PA
Ruth Crawford KC, representing Greenpeace UK, advised the courtroom a “substantive error of law” had been made when consent was granted for the 2 schemes primarily based on restricted data on their environmental influence and that the charity was in search of “remedy”.
“It was not simply a matter of discretion on whether or not to take emissions into account, it is a matter of the law the impact of emissions had to be taken into account,” she stated.
Ms Crawford argued for each developments to be paused and for the oil firms concerned within the tasks to be made to submit revised environmental influence assessments.
She stated these assessments ought to embrace consideration of so-called Scope 3 emissions which might be produced by burning all of the oil and fuel to be extracted from the fields.
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Shell stated Jackdaw is a “vital project for UK energy security” and can present sufficient gas to warmth 1.4 million UK properties.
Equinor has equally stated Rosebank is “vital for the UK” by way of native funding, jobs and vitality safety.
The case, earlier than Lord Ericht, continues.
