– Finally we are believed. We in the Right have promoted this several times. In order to reach a zero-emissions Europe, Norwegian gas is absolutely central. That’s what Bård Ludvig Thorheim says. He is a housing administrator and a member of the Storting’s energy and environment committee. He points out that the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate establishes precisely this in a recent report. The directorate points out that Norway is already an important supplier to the continent. At the same time, they indicate that there are significant undiscovered resources left on the Norwegian continental shelf. They estimate that more than half of the remaining resources are gas. But to limit production declines, a larger part of production must come from resources that we have not discovered. This especially applies from 2030. – New areas must be opened The greatest probability for new discoveries on the Norwegian continental shelf is in the Barents Sea. And then in areas that are not opened for petroleum activities today. Now Thorheim believes that it is urgent to take action. The right-wing politician believes that new exploration areas must be opened quickly through a new licensing round. – It is a simple political decision that can be made at any time. And there are many commercial companies that will search in these areas. Gas production will plummet from the 2030s onwards. And it takes between eight and ten years to find new fields. So we need a decision today so that we don’t have a huge problem in eight years. Responsible politics He believes that the Labor Party has allowed itself to be controlled by SV in the matter of opening up new areas in the Barents Sea. He refers to the budget agreement between the governing parties and SV. Here SV won approval that no ordinary round of concessions be announced this year. – If the Labor Party is serious about being a governing party, then they must create a broad majority together with the right on this type of issue. This is important for our allies in Europe and at a time when there is war and gas is used as a political weapon. Today, many EU countries are dependent on Russian gas. Before the invasion of Ukraine, 55 percent of the gas Germany needed came from Russia. In recent months, gas exports to Germany have been down to 20 per cent. Russian Gazprom claims that the drop in deliveries is due to maintenance and technical problems. – Norwegian gas will help Europe out of Putin’s clutches, says Thorheim. Norway is already the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas to Europe. This gas has replaced some of the gas that previously came from Russia. The right-wing politician therefore encourages the Labor Party to see the big picture. – They must implement a responsible policy where we ensure that Norway is a gas supplier for a long time to come. – We need to be able to trust Marianne Sivertsen Næss (Ap) is head of the energy and environment committee in the Storting. She is clear that the Labor Party is concerned that Norway should be a stable and long-term supplier, and particularly of gas. – Europe is in a situation where we need to be trusted, she says. Marianne Sivertsen Næss (Ap) is head of the energy and environment committee at the Storting. Photo: Eirik Sørenmo Påsche Næss points out that it will be more efficient to make use of the so-called TFO rounds. Allocation of new exploration area As it is today, new exploration area is allocated through two equal rounds of concessions. One is the so-called numbered rounds. This takes place in the least known exploration areas. In practice, this means parts of the deep-sea areas in the Norwegian Sea and parts of the Barents Sea. But new acreage in the best-known exploration areas is allocated in the so-called TFO rounds. This happens annually. The majority of the North Sea, large parts of the Norwegian Sea and an increasingly large part of the Barents Sea are currently covered by the TFO rounds. – It is the TFO rounds that can trigger more gas to Europe the fastest. Then you look around existing infrastructure. – What does the Labor Party think about more exploration in the Barents Sea? – We have said that we will develop and not liquidate the petroleum industry. Developing means several things, but in order to be a long-term supplier we have to search. It is obvious that you have to search more to be able to make discoveries that you can develop, she says.
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– Will help Europe out of Putin’s clutches – news Nordland
