Norway’s military said on Oct. 3 it had posted soldiers to help guard major onshore oil and gas processing plants, part of a wider effort to boost security amid suspicion that sabotage caused leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipelines last week.
Russia’s Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines burst on Sept. 26, draining gas into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark and Sweden. Seismologists registered explosions in the area, and police in several countries have launched investigations.
Norway, Europe’s largest gas supplier and a major oil exporter, last week deployed its navy and air force to patrol offshore petroleum fields and announced it would receive assistance from Britain, Germany and France in doing so.
At the request of Norwegian police, the Norwegian Home Guard, a rapid mobilization force, on Oct. 3 began to deploy troops at plants responsible for processing and exporting oil and gas.
Although the Norwegian government has said it was not aware of any specific threats to oil and gas infrastructure, it still found it prudent to beef up security and sought to calm concerns among workers.
Among the onshore facilities receiving police and military protection on Oct. 3 were the Kollsnes and Nyhamna gas export terminals, the Kaarstoe gas and condensate plant and the Mongstad oil refinery.
A spokesperson for the armed forces declined to say how many soldiers were deployed, citing security concerns.
Recommended Reading
Exclusive: Building Battery Value Chain is "Vital" to Energy Transition
2024-04-18 - Srini Godavarthy, the CEO of Li-Metal, breaks down the importance of scaling up battery production in North America and the traditional process of producing lithium anodes, in this Hart Energy Exclusive interview.
High Interest Rates a Headwind for the Energy Transition
2024-04-18 - Persistent high interest rates will make transitioning to a net zero global economy much harder and more costly, according to Wood Mackenzie Head of Economics Peter Martin.
Scotland Ditches 2030 Climate Target to Cut Emissions by 75%
2024-04-18 - Scotland was constrained by cuts to the capital funding it receives from the British government and an overall weakening of climate ambition by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, said Mairi McAllan, the net zero secretary for Scotland's devolved government.
Exclusive: Mitsubishi Power Plans Hydrogen for the Long Haul
2024-04-17 - Mitsubishi Power is looking at a "realistic timeline" as the company scales projects centered around the "versatile molecule," Kai Guo, the vice president of hydrogen infrastructure development for Mitsubishi Power, told Hart Energy's Jordan Blum at CERAWeek by S&P Global.
Google Exec: More Collaboration Needed for Clean Power
2024-04-17 - Tech giant Google has partnered with its peers and several renewable energy companies, including startups, to ramp up the presence of renewables on the grid.