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The UK government faces a new bid by environmentalists to renounce oil and gas licences in the North Sea on Wednesday.
Campaign Group Oceana challenges the process of being licensed in May last year in the High Court.
The decision was made under previous conservative governments, but workers who came to power in July are defending their licenses.
The government is discussing the future of North Sea Energy, including ways to provide workers’ manifesto commitment to not issuing licenses to explore new fields without revoking existing licenses.
Oceana executive director Hugo Tagholm said he hopes the incident will help Kiel Starmer’s labor government to remove support for existing licensing.
Oceana has argued that government approval of the oil and gas exploration risk assessment that underpinned last year’s round of licenses in the North Sea is illegal.
Campaign Group Hugo Tagholm says fighting the effects of climate change should not be considered “part of the culture war” © Anthony Upton/PA
Protecting the marine environment from oil spills and hand-in-hand with climate change should not be considered “part of the culture war” or “green and growth,” Tagholm said.
He added: “This protects nature to protect future prosperity and industry.”
The case centers around 31 licenses issued by the North Sea Transition Agency (NSTA) in May last year, where extraction could affect marine protected areas. The evaluation of each license was carried out by the offshore oil regulator for Environmental and Decommissioning (OPRED).
Oceana’s claim is known as Finch, based on a Supreme Court decision last June. This said regulators should consider how oil and gas combustion can accelerate climate change when creating environmental impact assessments for drilling sites.
The Campaign Group argues that Finch Standard should also apply to assessments created before a license is granted in the UK’s marine protected area.
Oceana alleges that the department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has failed to fully consider advice from legal experts intended to consult when preparing the assessment.
A letter sent last May and seen by the Financial Times warned that the risk that exploration could not be eliminated as oil and gas burning contributes to climate change.
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Desnz and the NSTA said they could not comment on the ongoing legal proceedings. Those close to the NSTA said the license was granted only if the operred assessed “any potential negative impact” on the protected area.
Perenco said: “As responsible operators, I will comply with all relevant environmental regulations.” Ineos and Totalenergies did not respond to requests for comment.
The workers’ attitude in the Oceana incident is in contrast to last year’s decision not to challenge bids by environmental groups blocking the development of the North Sea’s Rosebank and Jack Deau oil fields.
Scotland’s top civil court ruled earlier this year that the project’s consent was illegally granted under Tory.
The priorities that have been trying to present government as a professional business in recent months have shown that in response to new applications in these areas, perhaps labour will grant approval again.
