On the same day that leaks on two gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea were reported, a statement from the Minister of Oil and Energy received a lot of attention.
When Terje Aasland (AP) was asked if the government would do anything following the reports, he handed the security responsibility to the Norwegian continental shelf.
– Have independent responsibility for managing shelf safety and the stability and predictability of gas deliveries. Companies pay great attention to security. Of course, we support them in this, but companies are responsible, Aasland told NTB on Sept. 27.
It met with a lot of criticism and several parties asked for an explanation in the Storting.
“Does the government not understand seriousness?” Venstre leader Guri Melby wrote on Twitter.
In the carpet: – Hair lift
It was planned
In the documents that Dagbladet has accessed, the Prime Minister’s office appears to have supported this line.
The day after the criticized actions of the Minister of Oil and Energy, an e-mail was sent from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. There, the instruction was to say that plant safety is the responsibility of the oil companies.
HAS THE WORLD’S ATTENTION: Leaks were discovered on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines off the Danish island of Bornholm on 27 September. Photo: Danish Defense / NTB
sea View
“NCS companies are fundamentally responsible for the safety of their facilities, because they have both the necessary knowledge and the resources to implement the measures. They also work closely with national security authorities, such as the police and defense,” it reads. in the letter that the Prime Minister’s office sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 28 September.
Information had been requested internally on how the government should communicate on the matter, the documents show.
“The attached information can be shared with the European foreign missions, Washington, the EU delegation and the NATO delegation,” wrote the Prime Minister’s office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Agreement disputed: canceled
A test
The Progress Party was among those who reacted to the oil and energy minister who handed the responsibility to the oil companies. FRP leader Sylvi Listhaug believes these documents prove something:
– This only shows that this government seems to have a regular routine of being passive and relinquishing responsibility when new situations arise. The only tool the government seems to have in its toolbox is to “monitor the situation closely,” Listhaug told Dagbladet.
– DISTURBING: This is what FRP leader Sylvi Listhaug thinks about the government’s strategy. Photo: Shad Madian / Dagbladet
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The incident in the Baltic Sea prompted the government to sound the alarm. Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines run between Russia and Europe, and experts in the Nordic region said the leak was deliberate sabotage from Russia. The Russians deny it.
Storting Rebellion: – I refuse
Provide clarification
When the criticisms began to arrive in September, the Ministry of Oil and Energy made it clear to the contrary The newspaper which did not mean that the oil companies were responsible for Norwegian social security linked to the Norwegian continental shelf.
– This responsibility rests with the state, the Ministry of Oil and Energy told Dagbladet on the morning of September 28.
What the minister referred to in the statement, the oil and energy ministry said, is that companies are, under the law, responsible for the safety and security of their plants.
Because the energy minister referred to this, when asked if the government would take action, the ministry did not respond.
Subsequently, on the evening of September 28, the e-mail of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers was sent.
After crying in the back room: – Hopeless
FRP leader Listhaug questions the fact that the government only reacted when the criticism came.
Fortunately, after this the government took the safety of oil and gas plants seriously. I’m happy about that, but it’s disturbing that the government is always passive when new things happen, says Listhaug.
The Prime Minister’s office did not respond to Dagbladet’s requests.
– We will take back Norway
Other instructions
In the documents Dagbladet saw, the prime minister gave further instructions for the authorities to signal that one should not be naive and that the government has increased vigilance.
Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) subsequently used these formulations on the numerous drone observations in Norway.
“The information we have received further reinforces the suspicion that the damage is due to sabotage and willful act. Our message to our allies is that we consider the situation serious,” the documents say.
