Norway's petroleum ministry said January 4 the court held that section 112 is a provision that establishes an obligation for the authorities to implement measures to safeguard the environment but that, in this instance, the authorities had implemented sufficient measures to safeguard the environment. It said the court also agreed that the government's process up until the award of the licenses in 2016 was lawful.
Two non-government associations, Greenpeace Nordic Association, and Natur og Ungdom (Nature and Youth) decided last year to bring the case against Norway's petroleum ministry.
Greenpeace Nordic said January 4 it was disappointed at the ruling, adding that it took no account of emissions generated overseas by future Norwegian oil production from the Barents Sea licences, adding: "Norway is the world's seventh largest exporter of emissions today, and that cannot be ignored." The court's verdict is available here in Norwegian only.
The 23rd licensing round awards in the Barents Sea were to: Statoil (operatorship of four licences), Lundin three, with Spirit Energy (then Centrica in Norway), Det Norske, and Cairn Energy-owned Capricorn Norge one operatorship each; the ten licences so awarded cover a total of 40 blocks.