Two Norwegian energy players, Equinor and Vår Energi, have received consent from the country’s offshore safety regulator for contingency planning in the Barents Sea.
The Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil) explains that this consent enables the establishment of contingency planning in the southwest Barents Sea to strengthen emergency preparedness and cooperation in the area.
The offshore safety watchdog highlights that this will benefit the two temporary fixed facilities, drilling facilities, and other vessels, which are periodically situated in the area. Havtil claims that the consent is given, among other things, based on the meeting and the documentation submitted in connection with the application.
Furthermore, the Norwegian regulator explains that area contingency planning is the collaboration on emergency preparedness between several facilities and fields to share maritime and airborne emergency response resources, which may include emergency response vessels, SAR helicopters, and other resources.
The Norwegian government is convinced that the Barents Sea area contains more undiscovered hydrocarbons, thus, further exploration activities are encouraged to uncover this potential. Norway is an important oil and gas playground for many energy players, including Equinor and Vår Energi, which are developing many projects in the country’s waters.
While the former is preparing to kick off production from the Johan Castberg field in 2024, the latter is ticking off all the items on its list to ensure the first oil from the Balder X life extension project will be achieved in the fourth quarter of 2024.