Norway's offshore industry marked 100 producing oil and gas fields on Tuesday with the opening of the Ørn field in the Norwegian Sea, but used the occasion to warn of a sharp fall in output, NRK reports.
Ørn is a small subsea development tied back to the Skarv production ship. Hildegunn T. Blindheim, head of the industry body Offshore Norge, said that under current policy oil and gas production would fall by more than 60 per cent by 2050 without new projects, hitting jobs in northern Norway and gas supplies to Europe. The industry wants more exploration, especially in the Barents Sea and off Nordland.
Energy minister Terje Aasland attended the celebration in Sandnessjøen. The leader of Greenpeace Norway, Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle, said there was nothing to celebrate and called for exploration to stop.
Source: NRK
