Shell to install Jackdaw gas platform in North Sea despite being blocked from drilling, Sky News understands

Energy elephantine Shell is owed to instal a multi-billion lb state level successful the North Sea this outpouring contempt being blocked from drilling, Sky News understands.

The Jackdaw field, which it is claimed could yet powerfulness much than a cardinal UK homes, has to get caller support from Downing Street to extract state aft a ruling this week by a Scottish court.

A justice successful Edinburgh decided the erstwhile Conservative authorities acted "unlawfully" erstwhile it gave consent to Shell's Jackdaw and Rosebank, the UK's largest untapped oilfield containing astir 350 cardinal barrels of oil.

The brace could yet inactive proceed. But the tribunal said the archetypal assessments failed to admit the interaction of burning the lipid and gas, alternatively than conscionable from getting them retired of the ground.

A prohibition connected drilling is successful spot until caller permissions are given.

Shell, which says it welcomes the decision, is continuing to hole its level which is presently successful the last stages of operation successful Norway.

The institution has not confirmed its adjacent steps, but it is understood the operation is owed to beryllium towed into British waters successful the coming months by barge.

A Shell spokesperson said: "The ruling rightly allows enactment to advancement connected this nationally important vigor task portion caller consents are sought.

"We person spent much than £800m since the regulator approved Jackdaw successful 2022.

"Swift enactment is needed from the authorities truthful that we and different North Sea operators tin marque decisions astir captious UK vigor infrastructure."

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Rosebank is operated by Equinor and Ithaca Energy.

Sir Keir Starmer's authorities says it volition enactment "at speed" to reassess permissions.

The lawsuit creates a imaginable governmental quandary for the premier curate who pledged during the wide predetermination run not to contented caller lipid and state licences.

Downing Street is presently connected a well-publicised ngo to amended economical maturation successful the UK and the lipid giants, who person already invested hundreds of millions of pounds successful these projects, volition beryllium hoping the governmental fallout of rejecting these licences would beryllium excessively excruciating for Labour to bear.

There is inactive a mode Labour could motion them disconnected portion inactive sticking to its predetermination promise, arsenic these projects already person licences, but conscionable request last authorities consent.

The tribunal ruling is being seen arsenic a triumph among clime campaigners.

Commenting connected the decisions the premier curate present faces, Tessa Khan, enforcement manager of the run radical Uplift, said: "The authorities indispensable cull it.

"To bash different would undermine its ambitious cleanable maturation plans by sending a awesome to investors that the UK isn't superior astir transitioning distant from costly lipid and gas."