LONDON — One of Britain’s most controversial oil and gas projects could move a step closer Thursday when the British government publishes crucial guidance on carbon emissions for North Sea drilling.
The U.K. government is expected to unveil guidance on “scope three” emissions for oil and gas projects in the North Sea on Thursday, according to two industry figures and a figure familiar with government planning.
It could have major implications for fossil fuel projects Rosebank and Jackdaw in the North Sea, which campaigners successfully challenged earlier this year — leading to their environment approvals being revoked.
U.K. climate watchdog the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning and regulator the North Sea Transition Authority paused decisions on licenses for new drilling projects and the granting of existing licenses until the government clarifies its position.
OPRED launched a consultation last October on guidance for emissions in the fossil fuel industry. That consultation closed in January.
This followed a legal verdict last summer, known as the Finch case. It determined that end-use emissions, known as “scope three,” must be factored into the environmental impact of fossil fuel projects as part of applying for planning permission.
“We took the decision … that we have some decisions to take that risk looking a bit incongruous. [So] we pause, we wait until we see what the policy landscape from government is, and then we decide what to do moving forward. And so that’s exactly where we are,” Stuart Payne, NSTA chief executive, told POLITICO in January.
A DESNZ spokesperson told MECUK they were not going to comment on speculation, but confirmed Energy Minister Michael Shanks would be in Scotland on Thursday.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story included an inaccurate decision date.
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