EurOil: Planning approval at UK's Wressle field set to be revoked

Planning permission for further development of the Wressle oilfield in the east of England is likely to be revoked because of a legal challenge, the companies developing the project warned last week.

In statements on October 18, Union Jack Oil and Europa Oil and Gas said they had been informed by North Lincolnshire Council that it did not intend to resist the legal challenge. Having sought legal advice, the oil firms concluded that they would not be able to defend the claim.

Wressle is one of the UK’s biggest onshore fields, situated at licences PEDL180 and PEDL182 on the western margin of the Humber basin. Egdon Resources operates the development with a 30% interest, while Union Jack holds 40% and Europa 30%.

North Lincolnshire Council granted planning permission in September for the drilling of two new wells at the site, along with the construction of gas processing facilities and a pipeline to feed gas from the field to the local distribution network.

Two days earlier environmental campaigner Sandi Stratford threatened legal action against the council, arguing that permission for the project was granted without an environmental impact assessment (EIA) nor consideration of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the combustion of oil and gas from Wressle, otherwise known as Scope 3 emissions.

The council and Egdon had argued that the EIA was unnecessary, and only emissions resulting from construction, operation and decommissioning should be considered. But this rested on an outdated interpretation of the law, Stratford claimed.

This comes after a landmark decision by the Finch Supreme Court in June that downstream emissions should be included in environmental impact assessments for oil and gas projects.

Once the court process concludes, Union Jack and Europa said they would seek a new screening opinion from the council with additional supporting data on emissions. Depending on the outcome, the council will either re-examine the existing application for planning permission or an EIA will be submitted.

UK oil and gas projects face increasing scrutiny of their Scope 3 emissions, and environmentalists are likely to be emboldened by the new Labour government’s indication that it will not contest legal challenges to approvals in court.

If you’d like to read more about the key events shaping Europe’s oil and gas sector then please click here for NewsBase’s EurOil Monitor.