Environmentalists Seek to Halt Three New Norwegian Oil and Gas Fields

Environmental campaigners are suing Norway, again, for having approved the development of new oil and gas fields without properly assessing the climate impact of three new fields.  

Greenpeace Nordic and Natur og Ungdom (Young Friends of the Earth Norway) have filed a lawsuit with the Oslo District Court, the hearings of which begin on Tuesday. The campaigners are seeking a temporary injunction for the three projects—Equinor’s Breidablikk and Aker BP’s Yggdrasil and Tyrving in the North Sea. 

Equinor last month began production from the Breidablikk field in the North Sea, four months ahead of schedule and within budget. Breidablikk is being developed with 22 subsea wells drilled from four templates.

Aker BP’s Yggdrasil and Tyrving fields are planned to start production in 2027 and 2024, respectively.

Now the environmental organizations assert in their new lawsuit “that the development violates both Norway’s Constitution and international human rights law and must be stopped immediately.”

Greenpeace and Natur og Ungdom asked for a temporary injunction for the three projects as they “believe that development and further production must cease until the court has assessed the legal basis.”

“The new climate lawsuit in Norway is part of a larger movement to hold states and corporations accountable for the climate and nature crisis,” they added.

According to a filing to the court by Goeran Oesterman Thengs, who represents the Norwegian government, “The impact assessments are in line with current regulations.”  

In December 2020, the Norwegian Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit from Greenpeace and Natur og Ungdom that had sued Norway for opening up acreage in the Arctic to oil drilling.

The new lawsuit follows the Norwegian government’s approval of the development of 19 offshore oil and gas projects worth more than $18.8 billion (200 billion Norwegian crowns) in investments. The projects include new developments, additional development of producing oil and gas fields, and investments to increase resource recovery in producing fields.   

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

• Traders Cut Bullish Bets on Oil Ahead of OPEC+ Meeting
• Connecticut Plan to Ban Gasoline Cars Runs into Opposition
• Alberta Strikes Back at the Federal Government’s Energy Transition Plan