The Petroleum Safety Authority considers the fire at Equinor’s gas plant to be one of the most serious incidents in Norwegian petroleum history. The fire caused the facility to be down for 20 months. Afterwards, repairs to the plant have led to a great deal of activity, with many local companies involved. This is the explanation for why the industry in the north increased its turnover by 48 per cent and almost reached the record from 2014. In 2021, goods and services were delivered to the petroleum sector for NOK 5.5 billion. General manager of the Hammerfest company Gagama Elektro, says they have had a marked increase in deliveries in 2020–2021. Photo: Gagama Elektro The Hammerfest company Gagama Elektro is one of the companies that makes a good profit from the repairs on Melkøya. – This has led to increased deliveries of other types of services than before the fire, such as temporary installations on both existing and temporary facilities, says general manager Vegar Ingebrigtsen Murberg. In the period 2020–2021, the number of employees increased by 12 per cent. Turnover increased by NOK 5 million. Today they have around 60 employees. – It concerns the hiring of personnel to Equinor in connection with Cold Return, as well as services associated with this project, says Murberg. Big growth – We want to work systematically so that the share of northern Norwegian deliveries will increase even with normal operations, says Toril Utvik, head of the Nordic area unit at Equinor. Photo: Equinor Figures from Kunnskapsparken Bodø (KBP) show that 2,172 man-years were employed as a result of the deliveries. This is an increase of 455 man-years from 2020. The figures were presented today during the Offshore Northern Seas (ONS) conference in Stavanger. Toril Utvik, head of Equinor’s Nordic area unit, says that the numbers may increase in the long term. – With Johan Castberg, and with the realization of the Wisting field, the range of tasks in the north will increase. It will provide opportunities to unleash more of the potential that lies with suppliers in the north, she says. – Competence important for green business The county currently has five producing oil and gas fields. 82 per cent of the deliveries to the petroleum activity in Northern Norway went to customers or projects in the country. Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) has noticed this. – The report shows that the supplier industry in the north is competitive, which is absolutely crucial for further development. – The report shows that the supplier industry in the north is competitive, says Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / Stian Lysberg Solum – The government wants to develop the Norwegian petroleum industry. The expertise from the petroleum activity is also valuable when new, green business is to be developed in the region in the future, states the minister. Kjell Giæver is director of Arctic Energy Partners. He believes there is too much use of commuters in the north. Photo: Arctic Energy Partners The supplier industry’s umbrella organization in the north is Arctic Energy Partners in Hammerfest. Director Kjell Giæver points out that they are largely dependent on commuters. In total, the number of man-years in the country increased by commuters by 478 man-years. – There is still far too much commuting of labor to the north. We have to accept that supplier companies experience access to qualified labor as one of the biggest challenges, says Giæver. Need more labor The Hammerfest region will experience a significant increase in demand for industrial workers within four to five years. The reason is large projects related to petroleum, mineral extraction and hydrogen production. Unemployment in the region is already low. On 1 June 2022, production on Melkøya was restarted. The LNG ship “Arctic Discoverer” picked up a new supply of liquefied natural gas last week. This cargo went to Bilbao in Spain. Photo: Allan Klo / news Project manager for KBP’s report, Signe Kilskar, emphasizes the importance of recruitment. – The limited labor reserves in the region explain why labor from outside is essential to be able to carry out the work that is in demand. – To ensure further development and a good basis for increased deliveries, the focus on recruiting both young labor and labor from outside the region is important, she says. Signe Silskar at Knowledge Park Bodø is project manager for the annual “Delivered” report, which deals with deliveries to the petroleum sector in the north. Photo: Monica White Martinsen / news Want to avoid hiring At Gagama Elektro, Vegar Murberg emphasizes that they put in a lot of effort to avoid hiring labour. – We have mainly used permanent employees for assignments related to Hammerfest LNG. This is something we strive for in all our assignments. – We are therefore continuously looking for skilled workers, he says.
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Melkøya fire in Hammerfest in Finnmark produced almost record turnover for the supplier industry in the north – news Troms and Finnmark
