The UK government has opened a consultation seeking views on assessing the effects of scope 3 — or end-use — emissions from proposed offshore oil and gas projects.
"Scope 3 emissions from downstream activities need to be assessed… in relation to offshore oil and gas production activities", the government said today. It proposed that a baseline scenario is defined for assessing scope 3 emissions, to set out how the environment "is likely to evolve without the development of a proposed project".
The government also proposed that information on "relevant scope 3 categories" is included when a developers applies for a permit. This would include the effects of emissions from the combustion of oil or gas, as well as "other downstream activities", such as refining or transport of fuels.
The UK's current process means that developers applying for consent must provide information on scope 1 and 2 — operational — emissions in an environmental statement. But scope 3 emissions are not included, despite making up around 80-95pc of emissions for a typical oil and gas company.
The consultation was spurred by a ruling made in June by the UK's Supreme Court. The judgment ruled that consent for an oil development in southern England was unlawful, as the scope 3 emissions were not considered.
The government — which was elected in early July, shortly after the ruling — has halted the assessment of any environmental statements related to oil and gas extraction and storage activities, including any that were already being assessed. These would be deferred until the new environmental guidance was in place, expected in spring 2025. The consultation will close on 8 January 2025.
Separately, the government will consult by the end of this year on the implementation of its commitment to issue no new oil and gas licences to explore new fields, it said today.
The UK has a legally-binding target of net zero emissions by 2050.
