According to a recent statement, the Wilderness Society South Australia has commenced legal proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia with the aim to challenge the environmental approval to the Norwegian fossil fuel company Equinor, to commence oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight Marine Park, as granted by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).
Equinor, the company operating the Peregrino field, published a video with highlights during the installation of the platform’s two largest modules – the main support frame and the living quarters.
The world’s oil and gas explorers discovered 12.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) in 2019, the highest volume since 2015, according to estimates from Rystad Energy. Last year recorded 26 discoveries of over 100 million boe, with offshore regions leading the list of new oil and gas deposits.
Equinor announced that the Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, will be the one performing the opening ceremony of the Johan Sverdrup field centre on January 7, along with the Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Sylvi Listhaug, who will also attend the opening.
Equinor officially announced its new climate goal to reduce absolute greenhouse emissions from its offshore areas and onshore plants located in Norway. Specifically the company informed that plans to cut the emissions at 40% by 2030, 70% by 2040, and to near zero until 2050.
Equinor informed that the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) granted them a drilling permit for well 30/6-31, located in the North Sea offshore Norway. By giving this green light to Equinor, the company has the ability to begin its drillling activities without any concerns.
The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) officially announced that accepted Equinor’s environment plan for drilling in the Great Australian Bight. This is the second exploration approval that Equinor receives, as it needs two more approvals in order to start the operations.
Equinor has awarded Wood, the Oilfield services provider, with a new contract with the aims to deliver modifications to two offshore installations in the Norwegian North Sea and to further connect electric power from floating wind turbines forming part of the Hywind Tampen development.
The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) launched an investigation report on an oil leak caused by the Statfjord A facility on 26 November 2019, to understand the causes and clarify responsibilities.
Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) has launched an investigation into a serious work accident which took place on the Heimdal field in the North Sea on 28 November 2019, where two people were injured from an explosion in a gas cylinder.
