The Scottish court blocked petroleum and gas production on two large project sites developed in the British sea area until the impact on climate change could be evaluated.
This decision was a blow to the site developer Shell and the Norwegian company Equinor. However, Judge Andrew Stewart, a Scottish session court, stated that companies can excavate wells and continue to do other jobs on the site until the government decides whether to produce oil and gas. Ta.
JACKDAW and RoseBank, oil and natural gas fields are considered to be a flag in the British petroleum industry because its size and Equinor are the largest energy companies in Europe. Jackedo was scheduled to start production in 2026, but Rose Bank was scheduled to be online in 2026 or 2027.
Uplift, an environmental group, participated in GREENPEACE in a lawsuit to stop production, and was called “important victory.”
The ruling shows that the activist group can block or hinder oil and gas drilling, which can threaten the environment using the British court.
The petroleum company welcomed the judge's concession and made them do some job, but reminded me of how dangerous the shell was.
“I've spent more than 800 million pounds since the regulatory authorities approved Jackedo in 2022,” a statement. “Because the government needs prompt action, we and other North Sea operators can make decisions about important energy in the UK.”
The shell added that Jackedo could produce enough fuel to heat 1.4 million houses when other fields are approaching the end of productivity.
Equinor stated that RoseBank, a large oil field with an estimated 300 million barrel oil and gas, had already lined up 2.2 billion pounds. Energy giant plans to invest 100 billion pounds in the UK in the next few years, and many have invested in the British government's promoted wind and carbon capture industry.
The Keal Starmar's Labor Party government has strongly called for investment to strengthen the British economy, but it is still unknown whether oil and gas industry are part of these initiatives.
The government is reviewing the permission procedure in light of the 2024 ruling by the UK Supreme Court, which must include the effect of burning fuel in the evaluation of oil and gas projects. 。 A new guideline is scheduled for the second half of this year.
On Thursday, Judge Stewart stated that in pursuing the Supreme Court and the two projects in the North Sea should be stopped to provide time to develop standards for the government to evaluate the impact on the climate. 。
Rose Bank's minority partner Isaka Energy argued that the suspension of the project would “influence the UK international awareness, including its reputation for inward investment.”
However, Judge Stewart did not seem to be persuaded by the discussion. “The public interests to the authorities acting legally and the private interests of the general members in climate change exceeded the private interests of the developers,” he said.
