Norway’s national oil company facing £53m penalty for oil spills and gas leaks | Norway
Norway’s national oil company Equinor is facing a £53 million fine over an oil spill and gas leak at the oil-rich Scandinavian state’s only refinery. Officials said this was the result of years of inadequate maintenance.
Norway’s economic crime agency Økokrim said it was taking action against Equinor over “widespread and long-term pollution” at the refinery in Mongstad on Norway’s North Sea coast.
The sentence consists of a confiscation order of 500 million kroner (£37 million) plus a fine of 220 million kroner (£16 million).
“Økokrim takes the matter very seriously, which is reflected in the size of the penalty,” the agency said in a statement. “The confiscation amount is the highest ever and the fine is the second highest ever for a Norwegian company.”
The investigation began in 2020 following reports by Norwegian environmental NGO Bellona about oil leaks at the Mongstad refinery. “We saw a company in deep systemic crisis,” said Bellona founder Frederic Hauge. “We reported the incident because it was only a matter of time before a serious accident occurred.”
Økokrim said it found that a series of leaks occurred in Mongstad between 2016 and 2021. “The most serious case involved, among other things, the release of 40 tonnes of gas consisting of high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide,” said state prosecutor Maria Bache Dahl, who prosecuted the case.
“The release represented a risk of fatal outcome for many employees at the plant. Økokrim believes it was just a coincidence that no one was injured.”
Equinor has appealed the sentence and the case will now go to trial. Siv Helen Rygh Torstensen, the company’s vice president of legal and compliance, said: “We disagree that the company has failed in its duty to properly maintain the facility for decades and that the company has saved costs through inadequate maintenance.
“Økokrim did not specify what constitutes criminal negligence. Therefore, the company does not accept the criminal notice and will clarify the situation in court.”
