The Norwegian appeals court has ruled in favour of the government, dismissing an injunction sought by environmental activists to halt the development of three oil and gas fields, reported Reuters.
The appeals court’s decision overturns temporary injunctions against the development of the Yggdrasil, Tyrving and Breidablikk fields.
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The case, led by Greenpeace and Nature and Youth, was part of a broader legal challenge concerning the climate impact of the nation’s petroleum activities.
The lower court had previously ruled against the Energy Ministry for not fully assessing the climate impact from the future use of the fields’ oil and gas, known as scope 3 emissions.
The lower court’s January ruling had initially halted progress, but the appeals court allowed operations to continue in March.
The government, supported by field operators Aker BP and Equinor, argued for the injunctions to be lifted, emphasising the importance of petroleum to Norway’s economy.
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By GlobalDataThe court in its ruling said: “The concrete decisions to deal with the climate crisis, including a possible shutdown of petroleum activities, must primarily be made by parliament and the government.”
Norway, which gains a quarter of its gross domestic product from oil and gas, maintains that it is adhering to the Paris climate accords while planning to continue hydrocarbon production for decades.
Recently, TGS and Aker BP announced a collaboration to digitalise operations at the Yggdrasil field.
The partnership aims to enhance field operations using TGS’ Prediktor Data Gateway, integrating advanced technology to optimise performance.
Additionally, Aker BP’s Tyrving field in the North Sea commenced oil production ahead of schedule in September 2024.
The Tyrving development includes three wells and two new subsea installations, connected to existing infrastructure and the Alvheim floating production storage and offloading vessel.
