LONDON (Reuters) -Britain on Thursday published long-awaited environmental guidance which is expected to impact the future development of two vast North Sea oil and gas fields by companies including Shell and Equinor.
The guidance sets out how greenhouse gas emissions that would come from the oil and gas being used, known as downstream emissions, should be treated in any future government decisions to approve extraction.
“This new guidance offers clarity on the way forward for the North Sea oil and gas industry, following last year’s Supreme Court ruling,” energy department minister Michael Shanks said in a statement.
“It marks a step forward in ensuring the full implications of oil and gas extraction are considered for potential projects and that we ensure a managed, prosperous, and orderly transition to the North Sea’s clean energy future, in line with the science.”
The document was ordered by the government following a landmark Supreme Court ruling last year which said planning authorities should have considered the impact of climate-warming emissions in approving an oil well near Gatwick Airport.
In January a Scottish court said Britain’s decisions to approve Shell’s Jackdaw and Equinor’s Rosebank projects in the North Sea were unlawful and must be retaken.
(Reporting by William James; editing by Muvija M)
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