French energy giant wins legal battle to shut down North Sea oil fields

French energy giant wins legal battle to shut down North Sea oil fields

Judges used Ed Miliband’s net zero targets as justification for ruling in favour of TotalEnergies

TotalEnergies Wins Legal Battle to Shut Down North Sea Oil Fields

In a significant blow to the UK’s domestic energy production, French energy giant TotalEnergies has secured a High Court victory allowing it to decommission the Gryphon floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel in the North Sea. The ruling, handed down on August 12, 2025, paves the way for the shutdown of a key hub that supports five oil and gas fields, effectively stranding millions of barrels of recoverable reserves. Critics a…

UK court throws out challenge to TotalEnergies' FPSO decommissioning

The Gryphon Alpha FPSO was shut down at the end of last year