Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the "common sense" decision to allow work on Jackdaw and Rosebank to continue while Shell and Equinor reapply for consent.
In a landmark ruling on Thursday the Court of Session opted against halting work on the major North Sea projects.
It came after legal challenges by environmental groups who claimed the UK government acted unlawfully in giving the fields the go-ahead.
And although Lord Ericht agreed the permissions had been unlawful, work on the major North Sea oil and gas fields will be allowed to continue while applications are resubmitted.
Reacting to the court ruling, Russell Borthwick, chief executive at Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: “Allowing work on Jackdaw and Rosebank to continue is a victory for common sense and averts what could have been an international embarrassment for the UK on energy security and investment.
“The businesses and workforce we represent want a just transition to net zero which grows our economy, protects jobs and keeps the lights on.
"Those seeking to deny that fair transition would instead turn the UK into the ultimate climate catfish; sacrificing our domestic energy sector and the livelihoods of 200,000 working families only to import foreign oil and gas at a higher price and with a significantly higher global carbon footprint.
“The public are waking up to this farce - almost three quarters of Scots back domestic production - and our policymakers need to catch up quickly.
"Halting future oil and gas production makes the UK even more dependent on imports to meet our energy needs - in effect outsourcing and increasing our emissions, rather than reducing them, and doing the same to bills.
“We urge the UK Government to show pragmatic leadership and engage with the British Chambers of Commerce North Sea Transition Taskforce as a matter of urgency to find solutions that acknowledge the progress that is being made in decarbonising energy production in the North Sea - and which strikes a realistic balance between meeting our energy needs for the near future and our climate obligations.”
A spokesperson for Equinor, reacting to the ruling, said: “We welcome this ruling and are pleased with the outcome which allows us to continue with progressing the Rosebank project while we await new consents.
“Rosebank is critical for the UK’s economic growth, with an estimated 77% (£6.6billion) of total direct investment benefiting UK businesses.”
The spokesperson said the project was expected to create up to 2,000 UK jobs during its development phase.
A Shell spokesperson said: “We have spent more than £800million since the regulator approved Jackdaw in 2022.”
“Swift action is needed from the government so that we and other North Sea operators can make decisions about vital UK energy infrastructure.
“When operational, Jackdaw would provide enough fuel to heat 1.4million UK homes, at a time when older gas fields are reaching the end of their production and the UK is reliant on imported gas to meet its energy needs.”
Meanwhile campaigners from environmental groups Uplift and Greenpeace also reacted positively to the ruling, claiming it as a "significant win".
Uplift executive director Tessa Khan said: “The continued burning of oil and gas is why we are seeing more extreme weather like Storm Eowyn and flooding that have claimed lives and caused hundreds of millions of pounds in damage and clean up costs, not to mention the devastation it’s causing in other countries.
“Most people are now joining the dots with endless oil and gas drilling and are worried about the future.”