“The proposed governmental measures for the oil and gas industry is well below what we consider necessary to secure jobs, competence and technology development. We expect more measures to follow, including measures for a transition to more sustainable solutions,” says Høye Høyesen, interim CEO at GCE NODE.
The Norwegian Oil and Gas Association says the government ‘fails to safeguard jobs’.
“The government’s proposals for ensuring activity in the oil and gas industry do not protect jobs, value and expertise which the country will need in the time to come. That especially applies to the supplier industry”, says Knut Thorvaldsen, acting Director General of the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association.
With the proposals from the government formulated differently from the action requested by the industry, a number of companies have presented analyses which show that these measures will not help to ensure that profitable projects can be implemented as planned.
The outcome could be tens of thousands of lost jobs and reduced government revenues in coming years. The proposals will also weaken projects and technology developments important for the work of meeting climate targets.
“It’s now crucial that the parliament improves on the proposals so that we can actually safeguard activity and jobs,” says Thorvaldsen. “We haven’t asked for taxes to be reduced, but for them to be postponed. It will provide big benefits in coming years, at zero cost for the society,” says Thorvaldsen.
“GCE NODE trusts that members of parliament from our region will use their voice to ensure that the proposals raised by our industry are included in the revised national budget. This is important in order to secure the future of our industry and to ensure a smooth transition to greener energies,” says Høye Høyesen.
