Erna Solberg defends royal opening of giant field

Prime Minister Erna Solberg believes it is natural for King Harald to attend the official opening of the Johan Sverdrup oil field.

– “We in Norway should be proud of what we have actually achieved in terms of technology related to the oil and gas industry,” says Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) to NTB.

She now strikes back against MDG’s Une Bastholm, who on Sunday criticized Equinor and the government for putting King Harald in a situation where he “must shine on an oil project that will contribute massively to the climate crisis”.

The backdrop is that the king will participate in the opening of the new giant field Johan Sverdrup on Tuesday.

Solberg says she shall hold her comments and won’t put labels on the MDG party. But that Johan Sverdrup will become important for the value it’s going to create and welfare in Norway for many, many years to come, there is no doubt, according to the Prime Minister.

– “It is quite natural for the King to participate in the opening of one of the largest contributions to Norwegian welfare in the coming years,” she says.

Johan Sverdrup is scheduled to be in production until the 2070s.

The field is the largest development on the Norwegian continental shelf since the 1980s, with expected revenues which according to Equinor is estimated at NOK 1,400 billion.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today