UK Oil & Gas PLC (AIM: UKOG) has submitted a fresh planning application to restart production at the Horse Hill oil site in Surrey, reviving the controversial “Gatwick Gusher” project after it was halted following a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
The Horse Hill Oil Field has remained inactive since mid-2024, when the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom overturned Surrey County Council’s 2019 planning approval. The court ruled that the original application failed to properly assess downstream greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the eventual use of the extracted oil.
The judgment had broader implications for the UK energy sector, also impacting developments such as the Rosebank Oil Field and Jackdaw Gas Field.
UKOG said its revised submission now includes a full assessment of downstream emissions in line with the Supreme Court’s requirements. The company added that future revenues from Horse Hill could help fund its emerging hydrogen storage and clean energy projects in Dorset and East Yorkshire.
Chief executive Stephen Sanderson said the company is pursuing a “balanced approach”, continuing to manage legacy oil and gas assets while investing in energy transition initiatives.
The renewed application comes amid an increasingly contentious debate over UK energy policy. Ed Miliband has maintained restrictions on new North Sea exploration licences as part of the government’s net zero strategy, drawing criticism from parts of the energy industry concerned about energy security and domestic supply.
Despite early estimates suggesting Horse Hill could sit above billions of barrels of oil, production from the site proved modest. By the time operations were suspended in 2024, the field had produced roughly 200,000 barrels, and UKOG later relinquished wider exploration licences after technical reviews reduced expectations for further discoveries.
