More knowledge before new awards

The Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Mr. Terje Riis-Johansen, spoke today on a conference concerning the Integrated Management plan of the Marine Environment of the Barents Sea and the Sea Areas off the Lofoten Islands.  In light of the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico, the minister emphasized the need for more knowledge about the accident before awarding new areas for deep water exploration in the 21. licensing round.

- We are moving ahead with the 21. licensing round. We will have the accident in the Golf of Mexico in mind going forward. There will be no drilling in any licenses on deep waters coming out of the 21th round before we have sufficient knowledge of this accident, including possible implications for our regulation. In addition to that, before awarding licenses in the 21th round, I will ensure I have deeper knowledge about the accident. The precautionary principle combined with a predictable framework, have to be the foundation for our petroleum politics, says Mr. Terje Riis-Johansen.