Potential strike escalation could affect 13% of Norway’s gas export 

Photo: Carina Johansen / NTB

According to the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association, about 13% of gas exports abroad could stop if no agreement is reached before the strike escalates further.

About 13% of the total gas production on the Norwegian shelf will be shut down in an escalation on Wednesday, the organization stated. This is equivalent to 292,000 barrels of oil equivalents per day. The strike will also lead to lost oil production of 130,000 barrels a day.

“Norway is known as a reliable and stable supplier of natural gas to Europe in a time of unrest and uncertainty. The consequence of this strike is very serious, especially for the UK, which gets a lot of its gas from Aasta Hansteen,” Kolbjørn Andreassen, communications manager for working life and operational conditions in the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association, told NTB.

The parties can still reach an agreement before the strike escalates, but the Norwegian Organisation of Managers and Executives (Lederne) informed NTB that they had not received any concrete offers from the employer side yet.

“There is a strike from midnight onwards. Talks over the weekend have not yielded anything concrete,” union leader Audun Ingvartsen in Lederne told NTB.

Several fields closed down

As of Tuesday, Lederne have taken out 74 members on Gudrun, Oseberg Sør, and Oseberg Øst on strike.

All three fields have now been closed down, Equinor stated in a press release. In total, the three fields produce around 89,000 barrels of oil equivalents every day, of which 27,500 are gas.

On Wednesday, 117 Lederne members on Heidrun, Aasta Hansteen, and Kristin will go on strike. All of these fields will also have to close production, while Tyrihans will have to close as a result of Kristin closing, according to Equinor. These platforms produce around 330,000 oil equivalents per day, of which 264,000 are gas.

A further escalation of the strike has been announced from July 9. 

“The consequences of this escalation have not been clarified yet,” Equinor noted.

Opposed mediation proposal 

Lederne members voted against the mediation result in a referendum on Thursday.

“I have no comment on how much gas exports are affected. On the employee side, we only use the agreed instruments when an agreement is not reached. The employers know very well that this could be the consequence,” union leader Audun Ingvartsen in Lederne told NTB.

“Lederne hopes both parties can show enough will to find a solution.” 

The union leader added that the employer holds the key to resolving the situation before the strike escalates.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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