Norway Voters Show Support For New Oil Areas

Norway’s general election underlined the voters support for parties who favor the opening up of oil activity in key areas offshore Lofoten and Vesteraalen, with parties positioned against the move losing support, the chief of Norway’s oil industry association Per Terje Vold said Tuesday.

“The results of the general election clearly indicate that the Socialist Left and Liberals failed to win support for rejecting petroleum activity,” Vold said.

“Parties who take a positive view of opening further areas of the Norwegian continental shelf off northern Norway to petroleum operations made clear progress,” he said.
“On the other hand, the political groupings who want to protect the waters off Lofoten and Vesteraalen from such activity did poorly,” he noted.

“We have taken particular note of the fact that voters in northern Norway have not supported calls for permanent conservation of these waters,” Vold said.

Norway’s management plan for the areas – currently offbounds to oil exploration – is due to be reviewed in the coming months.

Allowing oil and gas companies in to explore there is controversial and has been fought by environmentalists and parts of the fishing industry. The oil industry on the other hand says it has the necessary technology and expertise to develop the region safely and without environmental damage. It is thought to hold much of Norway’s biggest remaining oil and gas reserves.

“Oil and gas activity off Lofoten and Vesteraalen will be important for the further development of the welfare state and to create new life into the region,” Vold said. Revenue from Norway’s oil and gas industry has helped the country buffer itself against the financial crisis, and will continue to create wealth in future, he said.

“Now the authorities must speed up work on the management plan for the northern areas. It is crucial that we get the plan in place in 2010 so the country can still benefit from the revenues the oil industry creates,” Vold said.

Wall Street Journal (through Google News)