Projects

The rules governing how potential new UK oil and gas projects are assessed are finally changing. Regulators must now consider the impact of burning the oil and gas extracted from a project. To be credible, the new rules must: 1. Rationally assess new UK oil and gas projects in the context of global climate limits 2. Count emissions from new oil and gas projects in their totality 3. Reject false proposals to mitigate combustion emissions.

Last week, the Scottish Court of Session ruled the approval of the Rosebank oil field unlawful. The decision has since sparked much speculation around the field’s future, including the government's position. One thing is clear – the rules for new oil and gas projects are changing. And Rosebank will need to pass multiple regulatory stages before being considered by the Energy Secretary. Neither Rosebank’s owners nor the government can pre-empt the outcome of this process.

In a huge victory for both Uplift and Greenpeace UK, Scotland’s Court of Session has today ruled that the 2023 approval of the Rosebank oil field was unlawful, as it did not account for the emissions that would be caused by burning the field’s oil. The judge ordered that Rosebank’s approval now be overturned (‘reduced’), meaning it is no longer legally valid. The Hon. Lord Ericht’s ruling states: “The public interest in authorities acting lawfully and the private interest of members of the public in climate change outweigh the private interest of the developers.” The decision acknowledges that the effect of burning fossil fuels on climate change and the lives of individual persons is now well recognised in law.‍