Climate campaigners win big as Norway’s Supreme Court rules three oil approvals invalid

OSLO, Nov 13 — Norway’s Supreme Court on Friday ruled that three oil licences granted by the government in the North Sea were invalid since their emissions impact had not adequately been accounted for.

The court agreed with climate campaigners, who challenged the validity of the licences, arguing that the environmental impact assessments had not considered the emissions from burning the oil after it had been extracted.

The campaigners had already won victories in two lower-court rulings.

The high court ruled that the plans for extraction and expansion were “invalid due to procedural errors”.

It noted that while emissions assessments were carried out, they only covered so-called production emissions and not the subsequent “combustion emissions”.

According to the court, “the combustion emissions resulting from petroleum production must be subject to an impact assessment” before a plan is approved.

For the highly anticipated decision, the court sat in plenary formation, meaning that 11 judges took part instead of the usual five – a format reserved for important cases.

Operations were allowed to continue at the three contested North Sea fields while the energy ministry appealed the rulings.

Norway’s Supreme Court in Oslo, where it ruled on November 13, 2026 in a climate lawsuit over North Sea oil licences. — AFP pic

The Supreme Court noted that the oil companies were not parties in the case and said the fact the approvals had been declared invalid did not automatically mean the licences ceased to apply.

“The ministry must, however, reassess the case on the basis of proper procedure,” the court said in a statement.

The ruling will be closely watched beyond the borders of the Scandinavian country by the many legal experts and environmental groups that have challenged production licences granted to oil companies on climate grounds. — AFP