We must succeed in reducing emissions, and we must, in cooperation with the rest of the world, achieve climate goals. At the same time, the world's population must have secure access to energy throughout the transition period. It requires us to succeed at several things at the same time.
One of the biggest tasks the world faces is to transition global energy systems to net-zero emissions in 2050. We will follow through on the historic climate agreement around which the world came together during the Dubai Climate Summit. There the countries agreed, among other things, to transition away from fossil fuels. It is an enormous task, when we also know that 80 percent of all the world's energy needs today are covered by fossil energy.
It takes time and requires a lot of space to obtain renewable energy. Although renewable energy development is moving rapidly today, it is not moving fast enough. The world will depend on oil and gas for many years to come, not least because of the reduction in coal use.
The proportion of the world's population without access to energy is increasing slightly. It is antisocial to pursue a policy that assumes that fewer people will have access to energy, or that jobs will stop working, or that energy will be so expensive that only those with the most can use what they need. actually.
Norway will contribute to resetting the world's energy systems to net zero, while at the same time helping to ensure that the world's population has enough energy so that UN sustainability goals can be met. We will continue our role as Europe's energy guarantor by developing the oil and gas industry while at the same time reducing emissions from production.
The energy transition requires the continued use of oil and gas, but over time we must reduce emissions by replacing the use of fossil energy with zero-emission alternatives. We must also invest more in solutions that eliminate emissions from fossil energy production. It would therefore be beneficial if the fossil energy still present in our energy mix could be produced and used with no or minimal emissions.
Emissions from the Norwegian continental shelf are on average much lower than the global average, and we have the potential to reduce further. In addition, we are a global leader in important climate technologies such as carbon capture and storage. We have become so precisely because of the crucial experience of those working in the oil sector. They have ensured that we already have 27 years of experience in permanent shelf CO2 storage, that we have world-class technology relevant to the development of floating offshore wind and hydrogen, and infrastructure that we can leverage when creating new industries. Developed off the shelf.
Norway is the largest supplier of gas to Europe. We want to make arrangements so that the Norwegian continental shelf remains a stable, long-term supplier of oil and gas to Europe at a difficult time. It is important for energy security, and it is also important for the climate.
The government said that it would develop the oil sector and not dismantle it. Without ongoing new projects and increased exploitation of existing fields, we will not be able to maintain oil and gas supplies, because existing wells and fields are empty. We are also losing the opportunity to further develop the petroleum sector and all jobs in the industry.
In order to continue producing NCS after 2030, we must also make new discoveries. Therefore, we have a long-term strategy for the sector where we facilitate the following:
o Further exploration
o Develop profitable discoveries
o Increase recovery from existing fields
o Reductions in climate emissions
The transition to a low-emission society will take time. If we are to succeed, we must ensure that the world's population has access to affordable energy during the transition period over the next few decades, while working to reduce emissions to net zero. There is no contradiction here. We can and should have two thoughts in our heads at the same time. Without adequate access to energy, the consequences for people will be so great that it will be difficult to gain support for climate policy, and then it will not work either. There are few countries other than Norway that are better placed to do precisely this. Yes, we have challenges that need to be solved, but above all we have opportunities.
Terry Asland (AFP)
Minister of Oil and Energy
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