An Edinbugh Court (United Kingdom) has ruled against development consents previously granted for two Scottish oil and gas fields, demanding a more detailed assessment of the fields' environmental impact before production can begin. The ruling was the result of a case brought by environmental campaigners (Uplift and Greenpeace) based on the Finch v Surrey County Council case, where the UK Supreme Court ruled that environmental impact assessments must include downstream emissions. Since the Scottish oil and gas fields only considered emissions generated by the process of extracting oil and gas but not the GHG which would be released when those fossil fuels were eventually burned (the “downstream” or "Scope 3" emissions) as part of the original consenting process, the court ruled that the Finch v Surrey County Council should be applied retrospectively to Rosebank and Jackdaw. Owners of both developments must now renew their petitions considering their Scope 3 emissions and the respective authorities will have to reconsider their previous approval for the projects. In the meantime, construction work on both fields is allowed; however, no oil and gas can be extracted until a new approval is granted.
Shell's Jackdaw gas field (120-250 mboe) in the North Sea was originally approved in summer 2022, aiming to begin production in 2026. Rosebank (300-500 mboe) is being developed by Norwegian Equinor and British Ithaca Energy (80:20); it was granted permission in autumn 2023 and expected to start production in 2026/27.
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