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Viewing cable 10OSLO106, Statoil on Opening New Offshore Acreage, Stokman

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
10OSLO106 2010-02-25 13:31 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Oslo
VZCZCXRO3133
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHNY #0106 0561332
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 251331Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0066
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS OSLO 000106 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EPET SENV NO RS EFIS
SUBJECT: Statoil on Opening New Offshore Acreage, Stokman 
 
(U) Acting PolEcon Counselor met with a senior official responsible 
for offshore exploration and production in northern areas of the 
Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) at majority state-owned oil 
company Statoil on February 9 to discuss the company's vision for 
gaining access to additional offshore oil and gas production 
acreage, Statoil's oil spill response system, and recent 
developments related to the Stokman offshore gas field. 
 
(U) The Statoil representative related that the company has 
extensive knowledge and experience in northern offshore areas, 
including the politically and environmentally sensitive 
Lofoten-Vesteralen region, where Statoil and Norsk Hydro (later 
merged with Statoil) had conducted some drilling in the late 1990's 
and early 2000's.  This took place before a moratorium imposed by 
an earlier government headed by current Prime Minister Stoltenberg. 
She pointed out that Statoil currently produces oil just south of 
this area. 
 
(SBU) Statoil identified two obstacles to development in this area. 
First, the NCS is very narrow, so seismic surveys would conflict 
with fishing activity and the oil industry would therefore have to 
limit their use.   Overall, the representative assessed that the 
fishing industry is more amenable to negotiation with oil companies 
on shared on offshore development than are environmentalists. 
Second, the narrow NCS means that production would take place 
closer to the coast, leaving less reaction time in the event of an 
oil spill or other accident.  Our contact was confident that a 
robust oil spill emergency system can address this issue.  She 
pointed out that the Goliat oil field in the Barents Sea, just 40 
kilometers from shore, will have the world's most extensive oil 
spill emergency system and that similar expertise can be applied in 
the Lofoten-Vesteralen region.  Proximity to shore will also 
require any production infrastructure to be located on the sea 
floor. 
 
(SBU) The Statoil official opined that the GON will try to drag out 
a decision on developing Lofoten-Vesteralen until after the next 
parliamentary elections in 2013.  A white paper on the issue is due 
to be completed in 2010, though this might slip to 2011.  After the 
white paper is finished, an environmental impact assessment will be 
required.   This will make it very difficult to actually begin 
production within the current government's four-year mandate. 
Comment:  This delay would suit junior coalition partners (the 
Center and Socialist Left parties) which are hostile to 
development.  The dominant Labor party is more receptive to oil and 
gas industry arguments.  End Comment.  However, the Statoil 
representative speculated that a compromise was also possible, with 
the current government perhaps choosing to open less sensitive 
areas in the Barents Sea, while continuing to put off a decision to 
open up the Lofoten-Vesteralen region. 
 
(SBU) Stokman:  Commenting on the recent decision taken by the 
Gazprom-Total-Statoil consortium to postpone investment in the huge 
Stokman field in Russia's Barents Sea, our Statoil contact said 
that the consortium's projections for production by 2013 had been 
too optimistic and so she was not surprised at the postponement. 
However, she opined that Stokman would eventually be brought online 
since European consumers will eventually need Stokman's gas as West 
European production of natural gas declines in the future. 
WHITE