Coexistence – challenging, but possible

"We need to work on renewables and oil and gas at the same time. Our members support this," says Monica Bjørkmann, chair of Offshore Norge and CEO of Subsea 7 in Norway.

She was among the participants and also a contributor at the packed NPD conference held in Stavanger on Tuesday. This year's topic was coexistence. Are the industries on the Norwegian continental shelf thriving side-by-side, or are they devolving into chaos and conflict? The conference included a number of contributors from the industry, public administration and academia.

Director General Torgeir Stordal opened the conference by referring to the different industries' long-standing tradition of coexistence on the shelf:

"Norway has a long coastline, and the sea has always been an important commercial arena. Over the years, this has provided business development opportunities. Norwegian public administration has been deliberate in its regulation to ensure that the various industries can operate side-by-side."

Trust built over time

Good coexistence between industries has been a fundamental premise since the start.

"It hasn't always been painless, but the industries have built trust over time through dialogue and knowledge. And the authorities have contributed through regulation and administration. All of this has allowed us to achieve good coexistence."

Bjørkmann from Offshore Norge represents both the oil and gas industry and other energy producers on the shelf. During the conference, she participated in a panel on the competitiveness of the Norwegian shelf. This panel also featured Karl Johnny Hersvik, CEO of Aker BP:

"We just invested 200 billion kroner. It goes without saying that we believe in the future. We're going to succeed in the transition. There's plenty of acreage. If it doesn't work out, it'll be because communication or the regulatory processes break down, but I don't see that happening," he said.

It's going to work out

Torger Rød of Vår Energi emphasised the importance of looking for solutions.

"We want it to work out. It's going to work out. Kalle (Karl Johnny) and I are competitors, but mostly partners. We need the other players, like the fishermen and the military, so we're going to solve this."

Frode Alfheim, president of union Industri Energi, singled out the importance of the tripartite cooperation, meaning the cooperation between industry, employee organisations and public administration.

The first NPD conference was held last year in connection with the NPD's 50th anniversary. The plan going forward is to hold these conferences every two years.

Panel debate on the evolving Norwegian shelf with Erik Dugstad, Vårgrønn, Director General of the NPD Torgeir Stordal and Frank Bakke-Jensen, Director General of the Directorate of Fisheries. Photo: Arne Bjørøen.

Speakers:
Terje Lien Aasland, Minister of Petroleum and Energy
Torgeir Stordal, Director General of the NPD
Frank Bakke-Jensen, Director General of the Directorate of Fisheries
Rune Andersen, Chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy
Anders Opedal, Equinor CEO
Stein Birkeland, Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of Energy at Norges Bank Investment Management
Helge Martinsen, Senior Market Analyst at DNB Markets
Janne Haaland Matlary, Professor of Political Science at UiO
Erik Dugstad, SVP Market Analysis & Public Affairs at Vårgrønn
Hugo Djikgraaf, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Wintershall DEA
Kjersti Dahle, Director of Technology, analysis and coexistence at the NPD
Frode Leversund, Gassco CEO
Karl Johnny Hersvik, Aker BP CEO
Torger Rød, Vår Energi CEO
Monica Bjørkmann, chair of Offshore Norge and Subsea 7 Norway CEO
Frode Alfheim, President of union Industri Energi
Ole Christoffer Ertvaag, conference host
Svein Tore Bergestuen, moderator