Norway court puts ban on two Aker BP oilfield projects on hold

Greenpeace and others had sued the Norwegian government to prevent the development of new oil and gas resources, in the latest legal dispute linked to global climate change. In January, the Oslo District Court handed a surprise victory to environmentalists by invalidating the approvals of two offshore projects, Yggdrasil and Tyrving, in addition to Equinor's Breidablikk, citing an insufficient assessment of their environmental impact by authorities.

A Norwegian appeals court has put on hold an injunction that could have halted the development of two oilfields operated by Aker BP, in a win for the government and energy companies. Greenpeace and others had sued the Norwegian government to prevent the development of new oil and gas resources, in the latest legal dispute linked to global climate change.

In January, the Oslo District Court handed a surprise victory to environmentalists by invalidating the approvals of two offshore projects, Yggdrasil and Tyrving, in addition to Equinor's Breidablikk, citing an insufficient assessment of their environmental impact by authorities. The lower court also imposed a temporary injunction for issuing any new permits needed to continue development of the two projects operated by Aker BP.

"The court of appeals has stopped the enforcement of the ban to issue the new permits until its written elaborations," Greenpeace Norway head Frode Pleym told Reuters on Thursday. Aker BP said development of the two projects would continue as planned for the time being in accordance with permits it had received or would receive.

The appeals court will hold an emergency hearing on the ban in April, while a date for a hearing on the main question of whether the fields were legally approved has not yet been set. Greenpeace said it hoped the government would not rush to approve the permits until the court rules on the injunction.

Norway's energy ministry said it would adhere to the appeals court ruling, including a provision that it must follow normal decision-making procedures. Greenpeace and its partner Nature and Youth, which brought the case, argued that the government failed to consider the impact of oil and gas produced from the three new developments on the global climate.

They cited a 2022 ruling of Norway's Supreme Court which said future projects should assess the impact of expected petroleum use, not only from its production stage.

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