Greenpeace has mounted a legal challenge against the Government, following its approval of the Jackdaw oil field last month – which energy giant Shell is set to develop.
The environmental lobby group has argued that the offshore site was greenlit, without checking the climate damage of burning gas extracted from the site.
It has taken its case to the Court of Session is Scotland, which will decide whether to grant Greenpeace permission to proceed with the legal challenge.
The group argues the government failed in its legal duty to check the environmental impacts of Shell’s Jackdaw project by refusing to consider the damage caused by burning the gas extracted.
Greenpeace further suggested that Jackdaw gas will not even help ease the UK’s energy crisis, or have any effect on energy bills because it belongs to Shell, and that supplies will be sold on international markets to the highest bidder.
Philip Evans, oil and gas transition campaigner for Greenpeace UK, slammed Jackdaw’s approval as “a scandal.”
He said: “Household bills are soaring, and the government is ignoring common sense solutions – like home insulation, heat pumps and cheap renewable power. We believe this is an astonishing dereliction of the government’s legal duty, and we won’t let it stand.
Commenting on the developments, a Shell spokesperson said: “We are aware of Greenpeace’s legal challenge against the UK regulator in relation to the Jackdaw consent decision. The court will decide in due course on whether this challenge is allowed to proceed. As per the regulatory approvals given and final investment decision taken, we are progressing the project which has the potential to produce more than six per cent of UK gas production at a time when UK energy security is critically required.”
The decision to definitely move ahead with Jackdaw comes amid record energy bills for UK households, while the Government has also pushed for further fossil fuel exploration to boost domestic energy generation.
North Sea oil and gas exploration was a key feature of the supply security strategy, which was unveiled in April following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The post Greenpeace launches legal bid to overturn Jackdaw gas field approval appeared first on CityAM.
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