Norway’s new coalition deflates gas industry hopes with halt to Arctic drilling

摘要

A decision by Norway’s new coalition government to halt oil and gas exploration off the country's scenic Arctic islands has been met with disappointment by the gas industry, which has warned of delays to replacing production from declining fields. Norway’s centrist Liberal Party insisted on preventing exploration off Lofoten, Vesteraalen and Senja as a precondition for signing a coalition agreement with Conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg and the populist Progress Party at the weekend. A document outlining the new government’s plans stated that the long-contested areas would be off-limits to the next licence round and will remain so until the next parliamentary election in 2021.