This is just one of the results from a major user survey commissioned by the Directorate.

"These are very good results! In addition to that, we're getting concrete feedback on how we can improve and continue developing for the better. We're taking a very positive view of this," says Kristin Reitan Husebø, Director of Framework and Governance at the Norwegian Offshore Directorate.

Menon Economics has assisted the Norwegian Offshore Directorate in the systematic collection of users' and stakeholders' assessments of the Directorate's goal achievement and use of policy instruments.

The objective of the user survey is to acquire knowledge about what crucial stakeholders in the Norwegian Offshore Directorate's sphere think about the Directorate’s performance.

"The results will be used as an important basis for situational understanding in our strategic efforts, and will also provide some good advice on potential improvements in our day-to-day operations," says Husebø.

Here are a few crucial points from the survey:

• Users from the industries the Norwegian Offshore Directorate is responsible for point out good dialogue and note that the Directorate plays an important role in business development and shelf management. 96 per cent of managers in the petroleum industry believe that the Directorate is succeeding to a large or very large extent on achieving its primary goal of contributing toward the greatest possible values for the broader society from the oil and gas industry.
  
  
• The Norwegian Offshore Directorate is considered to be an important driving force in several areas, particularly in connection with developing discoveries and improved recovery. Stakeholders within carbon capture and storage (CCS) and seabed minerals also highlight good dialogue and report that the Directorate is playing an important role in building these industries. Among other things, this has taken place through the mapping of resource bases, impact assessments and making relevant data and knowledge available to the new industries.
  
  
• The Norwegian Offshore Directorate is perceived as a world-class steward of data, and authorities from other countries look to the Directorate in order to learn from best practice. This is an important contribution to transparency in the industry, which ensures that the companies compete on operations, not data. Data management is ranked as the single most important means toward achieving the Directorate's goals.

The industry also has some input on potential improvements:

• It would like the Norwegian Offshore Directorate to be clearer in its priorities, to ensure collaboration both within and across the industries, and to see the big picture in maritime administration.
  
  
• The industry believes that the Norwegian Offshore Directorate is staffed by highly competent professionals, but is concerned as to whether the Directorate is able to secure adequate expertise and capacity. It is important for the Norwegian Offshore Directorate to be a competitive employer that can attract bright people to challenge the companies in relevant contexts.

One of the industry's concerns is whether the Directorate is able to stay up-to-date on technological developments – particularly associated with data management and communicating facts.

Read the report (pdf) (Norwegian only)

The value of our data

In June 2023, we also presented the report “The Value of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s Data” conducted by Menon Economics. It demonstrated that the petroleum industry enjoys annual gains equivalent to 1.5 billion Norwegian kroner in time and resource savings.

Furthermore, it highlighted that data management can yield substantial economic value by enabling discoveries that would otherwise remain undiscovered, due to shared access to data. Additionally, the Directorate’s data is expected to play a crucial role in facilitating and accelerating the development of new industries on the continental shelf.