The government will not defend the legal challenges brought against plans to develop the UK’s largest untapped oil and gas field and a second North Sea site.
Rosebank, 80 miles west of Shetland, contains around 300 million barrels of oil and is the UK’s last major undeveloped oil site.
It is twice the size of the controversial Cambo oil field.
Jackdaw, another untapped oil site, is situated 150 miles east of Aberdeen.
Legal claims against developing the sites for oil had been brought by environmental campaign groups Greenpeace and Uplift.
On Thursday, the government confirmed it would now not contest these legal claims by green groups.
It’s still possible for developers hoping to drill at the sites, energy giants Shell for Jackdaw and Equinor for Rosebank, to continue to defend the claims.
The exploration licences granted for oil and gas extraction at the sites have also not been revoked by the government.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
