Exclusive:Equinor's Rosebank partnership probed by regulator over Palestine human rights fears

Norwegian state-owned Equinor is being probed by the Norwegian Consumer Authority over its relationship with Ithaca Energy - the two companies behind the Rosebank oil proposals.

In January, the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled that Norwegian state-owned Equinor and Aberdeen-based Ithaca will need to reapply for environmental consents for the Rosebank project - for the first time taking into account the emissions caused from burning the fossil fuels contained within the field.

The Labour UK government has vowed to end new North Sea oil and gas developments.

READ MORE: 'Turning point': Rosebank oil and Jackdaw gas permissions in North Sea scrapped by courts

The intervention by the Norwegian Consumer Authority into the partnership could throw another spanner into the work of the Rosebank plans.

Ithaca is majority-owned by the Delek Group, an Israeli fuel company that operates in Occupied Palestinian Territory and has been flagged by the United Nations for human rights concerns.

Campaigners have warned that if the UK government grants permission for Equinor to develop the Rosebank field with Ithaca, it would see potentially hundreds of millions of pounds flow to Delek.

READ MORE: Rosebank approval 'poised to open floodgates' to 13 oil projects despite Labour's drilling vow

Equinor is now subject to an investigation by the Norwegian Consumer Authority for a potential breach of transparency law that requires Norwegian companies to ensure their business operations and relationships respect human rights and are in line with international guidelines.

The investigation follows a legal complaint by Greenpeace Norway, which argued Equinor has failed to carry out proper due diligence assessments of its partner on the Rosebank field.

Delek Group is listed on the UN High Commissioner's database of companies conducting commercial activity in occupied Palestinian territory and also provides fuel to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) through its subsidiary, Delek Israel.

The Norwegian government has issued guidance to Norwegian companies “not to engage in business cooperation or trade that serves to perpetuate Israel's illegal presence in Palestine”.

The guidance adds: “Such trade and business cooperation may be associated with serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and could in certain cases be considered activity that enables violations of these rights to continue.”

READ MORE: Revealed: Oil giant behind Rosebank has secured £400m tax break from Treasury

Frode Pleym head of Greenpeace Norway, said: "It is appalling that Equinor ignores that Ithaca Energy’s majority owner is black listed by the UN.

“I can understand that Equinor is trying to downplay the severity of their collaboration, but the reality is that they are working with a company that will make a huge profit from Rosebank.”

Tessa Khan, executive director of campaign group, Uplift, said: “It’s entirely right that Equinor’s relationship with Ithaca and Delek is now under investigation. Norway’s hypocrisy over Rosebank is impossible to ignore.

“Equinor must now follow Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, as well as the country’s largest pension fund, both of which have long since divested from the firm, and end its partnership with Ithaca.”

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said “tens of thousands of innocent lives have already been lost in a devastating genocide”, adding “no company that has been complicit in these war crimes should be profiting here in Scotland”.

An Equinor spokesperson said: “UK authorities decide what companies are allowed to operate on the UK Continental Shelf.

“Equinor has no influence over the UK approval process or over who buys or sells shares in a company listed on the stock exchange. We are looking forward to the consumer authority’s process.”

Ithaca did not respond to requests for comment.