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The Danes are reducing oil activity in the North Sea. The environmental movement applauds while Danish oil workers are depressed.
The rumor that the Norwegian oil discovery Ekofisk could have been Danish is a story that irritates many Danes and makes many Norwegians laugh.
The discovery of Ekofisk in 1969 is considered by many to be the beginning of the Norwegian oil adventure. Denmark has been drilling for oil in the North Sea since 1972 and has since earned DKK 541 billion from the oil business.
However, on Thursday night, the majority of Folketing politicians voted in favor of Denmark not seeking more oil in the North Sea. The parties agreed to abandon the eighth licensing round, and therefore Danish activity in the North Sea will be discontinued by 2050.
Flemming Christensen from Denmark is an oil worker in Norway and is currently working on phase two of Johan Sverdrup, which is being built in Thailand.
“I think it’s a completely wrong decision that I hope will be reversed,” says Christensen.
The oil giant withdrew
Earlier this fall, the oil giant Total, the largest operator in the Danish sector, withdrew its request to extract oil in the Danish part of the North Sea. The decision created considerable uncertainty about future oil extraction in Denmark.
Oil worker Flemming Christensen hopes the last word has not been said in the case, but he is disappointed in the majority parties in Denmark.
– The Danish government is doing its best to maintain support after the mink saga.
Denmark is the largest oil producer in the EU, but it is a mosquito compared to the world’s largest oil producers. In 2019, Denmark earned DKK 5.9 billion from oil activities, according to the Danish Energy Agency. By comparison, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate estimates that Norway will earn NOK 87 billion from the oil business in 2020, which is NOK 170 billion less than in 2019.
Christensen believes Folketing’s decision is bad news for Danish oil workers, who increasingly believe they will seek refuge on the Norwegian platform.
– It’s a very bad decision. A company like Semco Maritime is going to have problems. Many need to find a new job or retrain. Now the Norwegian krone is weak, so it will probably prevent more people from going to Norway. I can see that among my friends on Facebook. But if the krona exchange rate improves, many are likely to apply to Norway, says Christensen.
Read more: MDG will close the oil tap once and for all
Norwegian Oil and Gas Manager: – Reflects the realities
Anniken Hauglie, CEO of Norwegian Oil and Gas, tells Nettavisen Økonomi that the Danes’ decision emphasizes how important access to new land is for oil companies. She points out that Denmark’s deposits are about to be emptied, and that with today’s field it can only continue until 2040 at the latest.
– The political decision reflects the realities and, therefore, will not affect. However, it shows a general trend where oil production in many reservoirs is seen to be falling rapidly due to falling reserves. The Danish platform is more mature than the Norwegian one and we are still making important discoveries, says Hauglie.
– Do you think more Danish oil workers will apply to the Norwegian platform?
– It’s too early to say anything. But in the Norwegian oil and gas industry, we have many Danish colleagues trained on the Norwegian platform. The industry will need smart heads in the future, in both oil and gas, offshore wind and seabed minerals, Hauglie says.
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The environmental movement is encouraging
In a joint statement, Nature and Youth, Greenpeace, the Norwegian Society for Conservation of Nature and WWF’s World Wide Fund for Nature write that it is time for Norway to follow Denmark.
– Now Norway must open its eyes to the fact that our oil and gas activities must also be limited if we really want to solve the climate crisis, says Silje Ask Lundberg from the Nature Conservation Association.
– Denmark has understood what is happening, while Norway is out of step with both the market and the trends of international politics. Financiers are closing the money bag for oil and gas in the Arctic, but the government is opening up for more, says Karoline Andaur at WWF.
The Danish environmental organization Youth NOAH says that for once they are proud of the Danish government.
– The debate on oil in Denmark has also focused on the fact that the new oil fields in the North Sea are not profitable for the state. When there is uncertainty over the North Sea, we wonder how Norway can have so much faith that new investments in the Barents Sea will pay off when the rest of the world achieves zero net emissions by 2050, says Board member Tobias Rosenørn Folden by Youth NOAH.
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