An environmental consultant has lost a High Court case against the approval of a new gas power station in Teesside.
Dr Andrew Boswell challenged the former government’s decision to grant development consent for the Net Zero Teesside Project in February 2024.
The Net Zero Teesside Project includes a combined cycle gas turbine electricity station with a capacity of up to 860MW, along with full-chain carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology.
The facility is predicted to capture and store up to two million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually in the North Sea.
Developers bp and Equinor, who are behind the project, claim it will create thousands of jobs and generate electricity for 1.3 million homes.
Dr Andrew Boswell argued that the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) had not adequately explained how the project would contribute to the UK’s net zero goals.
However, Mrs Justice Lieven dismissed the case, ruling that there was no flaw in the government’s reasoning.
She concluded that the decision was made within the broader context of the UK’s transition to net zero and that the government had provided clear and lawful justification for the project.
A bp spokesperson told Energy Live News: “As a shareholder, we are pleased with the decision, including the Judge’s findings that the reasoning behind the Secretary of State’s conclusions for granting the development consent order was both “clear and lawful”.
“This project will help the UK Government to meet its net zero targets by capturing carbon dioxide emissions while helping to maintain energy security through the supply of dispatchable low carbon electricity to back up renewables.”
