Greenpeace has launched a legal bid to stop the development of a large gas field in the North Sea, claiming that the UK government failed to consider the climate impacts of burning the gas. The environmental group argues that the government breached its legal duty by permitting Shell to extract gas from the Jackdaw field, which lies 250 km east of Aberdeen, Scotland.
The Jackdaw field, which is 100% owned and operated by Shell, is expected to start producing gas in the mid-2020s and could supply enough energy to heat 1.4 million homes. Shell says the project is consistent with the UK’s North Sea Transition Deal and its own strategy to provide secure and stable energy supplies while reducing emissions.
However, Greenpeace says that the government did not assess the emissions generated from burning Jackdaw gas, which could amount to more than the annual emissions of Ghana. The group also says that the gas will not belong to the UK or lower energy bills but will be sold to the highest bidder on international markets.
Philip Evans from Greenpeace UK said: “This Jackdaw approval is a scandal. The government knows that burning fossil fuels drives the climate crisis. Yet, they’re approving a new gas field in June, without proper climate checks, and declaring a national emergency over heatwaves in July.”
Greenpeace has lodged its legal challenge with the Scottish courts, as it did last year over another gas field, Vorlich, which was approved by the government in 2018. The group lost that case but seeks to appeal at the UK’s Supreme Court. Greenpeace also plans to mount a third challenge if permission is given for production from the controversial Cambo oil field, which Shell recently pulled out of.
The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy said it could not comment on live legal proceedings but added that Jackdaw would boost domestic gas supply in the future. A Shell spokesperson said: “We continue to work with the regulator to explore options around developing the Jackdaw field.”
The legal action comes as the UK faces soaring gas and power prices amid dropping domestic output, low inventories, and tensions with Russia. The high cost of wholesale gas has led to several UK energy firms collapsing and halting production across industries.
The government has been under pressure from climate activists to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources. The UK is hosting the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November, hoping to show leadership in tackling global warming.
