A LEGAL challenge against the Rosebank oil field has begun in Edinburgh.
Environmental groups Greenpeace and Uplift have jointly raised a judicial review arguing consent both for the Rosebank oil field north-west of Shetland and the Jackdaw oil field off Aberdeen ought to be paused and reassessed.
The Rosebank field, set to be developed 80 miles off the coast of the Shetland Islands, was approved by the previous UK government in 2023.
The UK Government said in August it would not challenge judicial reviews brought against the development.
The Rosebank field is owned by Equinor and Ithaca Energy, while the Jackdaw field is owned by Shell.
The joint campaign against the oil fields has been backed by a host of celebrities, including Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle, comedian and presenter Joe Lycett, and conservationist Chris Packham.
The first submission was heard at the Court of Session in the capital on Tuesday morning.
Greenpeace and Uplift argue that the UK Government – along with the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), failed to consider the full impact of emissions caused by burning gas from the fields.
They also argue their reasons for approving the schemes were not transparent and the development will disrupt a marine protected area.
Ruth Crawford KC, representing Greenpeace UK, told the court a “substantive error of law” had been made when consent was granted for the two schemes based on limited information on their environmental impact and that the charity was seeking “remedy”.
She said: “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.”
Crawford argued for both developments to be paused and for the oil companies involved in the projects to be made to submit revised environmental impact assessments.
She said these assessments should include consideration of so-called Scope 3 emissions which would be produced by burning all the oil and gas to be extracted from the fields.
Shell said Jackdaw is a “vital project for UK energy security” and will provide enough fuel to heat 1.4 million homes in the UK.
Equinor has similarly said Rosebank is “vital for the UK” in terms of local investment, jobs and energy security.
‘It’s these types of emissions that are causing climate chaos’
Meanwhile, climate activists staged a demonstration outside the Court of Session as the first submission was being heard on Tuesday morning.
Campaigners called for the two projects to be halted, as Philip Evans of Greenpeace UK said: "Earlier this year, the Supreme Court made it crystal clear that the climate impact of emissions from burning fossil fuels must be assessed before any new oil and gas projects can be approved.
"It’s these types of emissions that are causing the climate chaos we’re seeing all over the world.
"But oil companies want to keep drilling for maximum profits whilst ignoring the damage they’re doing.
"That’s why we are taking Shell, Equinor and Ithaca to court to stop them in their tracks."
Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, said Rosebank should never have been approved.
"It won’t provide long-term security for oil and gas workers either.
"Even with new fields being approved, jobs supported by the industry have more than halved in the past decade. Workers need clean-energy jobs that have a long-term future.”
The case, before Lord Ericht, continues.
