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Equinor is facing a lawsuit over links to the Israeli energy company Delek Group. The complaint accuses Equinor of breaching Norway’s transparency act by failing to conduct due diligence before entering into partnership with Ithaca Energy, a company majority owned by the Israeli firm.
Equinor is partnering with Ithaca Energy on the massive Rosebank oil field in the UK. The controversial field will, if developed, cause more climate emissions than the combined emissions from the 28 poorest countries in the world. Estimates from WWF show that the Rosebank oil field will provide Delep Group with $602 million USD in profit.
What is the complaint about?
The complaint, filed on December 11th to the Norwegian Consumer Authority, is about Equinor’s partner on the Rosebank oil field, Ithaca Energy, and its owner Delek Group. Delek Group has been blacklisted by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for its operations in illegal settlements on Palestinian territories in the Westbank.
In 2021, KLP, Norway's largest pension company, excluded Delek Group due to “unacceptable risk that the excluded companies contribute to violations of human rights in war and conflict situations through their affiliation with the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.” The Norwegian Oil fund, the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, excluded Delek Group in 2023 due to its activities in the occupied West-Sahara.
Earlier this year, Greenpeace exposed that a subsidiary of Delek Group is a major provider of field to the Israeli military, IDF, estimating that the amount equals fueling 700,000 Israeli tanks.
Read more in the Guardian: Norway oil firm sued over alleged links to Israeli firm operating in illegal settlements
What could be the outcome of the case against Equinor?
The complaint states that Equinor has breached the Norwegian Transparency Act, which requires companies to perform adequate due diligence on their business partners to prevent complicity in human rights violations. If the Norwegian Consumer Authority upholds the complaint, it could prohibit Equinor from continuing its partnership with Ithaca Energy. Additionally, the complainants are requesting that the agency impose fines on Equinor for violating the law.