Norway welcomes oil explorers to the Arctic

The extension of the so-called mature oil and gas areas was announced by Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Riis-Johansen on Friday. The predefined areas in the Barents Sea will be extended with another 20 blocks, while the Norwegian Sea will get another 43 blocks, a press release from the ministry reads.

-With this, I prepare the ground for new findings, new field development and new activity in the North, Minister Riis-Johansen says.

The announcement comes as Norway experiences a sharp decline in its oil production, as well as a major drop in the number of significant new hydrocarbon findings. Norwegian industry has been pushing hard on government to open up for exploration in promising areas, but the red-green government coalition is reluctant to give the oil men carte blanche, especially in the waters outside the Lofoten archipelago.

The announcement means a major extension of oil and gas operations in the Norwegian Arctic, although a number of the blocks announced are areas earlier withdrawn from companies and thus also areas with former petroleum activities.

Environmental organizations are furious with the decision. Kari Elisabeth Kaski from Nature and Youth says to NRK.no that several of the new blocks are located in areas where environmental authorities have warned against exploration. –This has dcome all out of control — we cannot have a situation where they [the government] neglect the input from both environmental authorities and the environmental organizations, Kaski underlines.

She says to the broadcaster that her organization demands that the announcements are withdrawn. She is supported by the Friends of the Earth. –More than half of the blocks announced are areas which the government’s own directorate recommend not to open for exploration, leader Lars Haltbrekken says. He adds that the new blocks include coastal-near areas where hazards for sea birds are significant, as well as areas near fishing grounds and coral reefs.