TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Could State-of-the-Art Sensor Technology Play a Role in Environmental Approval for Future Fossil Fuel Sites?
An Edinburgh court has ruled that drilling at Rosebank, the UK’ s last undeveloped oil and gas field, and Jackdaw, another large site, cannot begin until the operators, Shell, Equinor, and Ithaca, can provide a detailed assessment of their Scope 3 emissions. However, with the regulator yet to publish a consultation, there are currently more questions than answers.
As part of the process, operators must also submit an environmental statement to the offshore environmental regulator. Scope 1 and 2 emissions are already assessed by the operators within the Environmental Statements.
How do oil and gas companies accurately calculate Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions? How do they measure the oil and gas when they can only guess the impact further down the downstream value chain? How far down the production chain should an environmental impact assessment reach? And what role can satellite and ground-based remote sensing technology play in ensuring that operators and regulators alike have access to a rich and accurate source of emission data? In the absence of clear guidance, which the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero( DESNZ) says it will publish Spring 2025, three leading environmental monitoring experts offer their opinions.
By James Gordon, Energy Writer
26 FUGITIVE EMISSIONS JOURNAL • JUNE 2025