Campaigners want to stop the development of two fields, but oil companies say the projects are vital.
A legal challenge over the decision to give consent to the UK’s largest untapped oil field is set to begin.
It is understood the oil companies will accept that the decision to give the go-ahead was unlawful - because the emissions they would create were not properly assessed - and will not challenge it.Consent for drilling in the Rosebank field was granted by the regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority , in September last year.
She said: "Rosebank is a terrible deal for Britain. It’s mostly oil for export, which would do nothing to lower fuel costs or boost our energy security yet, because of huge tax breaks for new drilling, the UK public would effectively cover almost all of the costs of developing it while the oil companies walk off with the profits."Even with new fields being approved, jobs supported by the industry have more than halved in the past decade.
Equinor declined to comment while the court challenge was ongoing, but said it was continuing to "work closely with all relevant parties to progress the project". "Stopping the work is a highly complex process, with significant technical and operational issues now that infrastructure is in place and drilling has started in the North Sea.
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