More than 20 people missing and 10 injured after landslide in Norway - thejournal.ie

MORE THAN 20 people are unaccounted for, ten injured and some 500 have been moved to safety after a landslide overnight in a small Norwegian town north of Oslo, police and local media said.

A huge component of German wind farm has left shore

A multi-thousand ton transformer station for the Arkona wind farm has left its French shipyard for Baltic Sea installation, a partnership announced.

World's first floating wind farm put to the test

Put to the test with high winds and strong seas, Norway's Statoil said a floating wind farm in Scottish waters shows promise for deepwater installations.

Norway to review oil and gas pension investments

Following advice from its central bank, the Norwegian Ministry of Finance said it would consider whether oil and gas stocks should be in a pension fund.

Seeds in Norway's ‘Doomsday Vault’ Rescued From Effects of Global Warming

The world’s global seed bank, a hedge against ecological catastrophe, has been declared safe after floodwaters caused by warming temperatures gushed into the main entrance and threatened to destroy the contents of the facility.

Norway to Reconsider Its Aid to Amazon Rainforest

Oil-rich Norway, which in many parts of the world emerged as the champion of wildlife preservation, is threatening to cut its support of the Amazon rainforest amid Brazil's defiant underperformance and wide-spreading deforestation.

No basis to Greenpeace claims, Norway says

In response to a lawsuit brought by environmental groups, the Norwegian government said there were no grounds to support an about face on Arctic oil.

Lithuania seeking European support to buy out LNG terminal's vessel

Lithuanian energy officials and Maros Sefcovic, European Commission vice-president in charge of the European Union (EU)'s energy union, have discussed on Tuesday the prospects of buying out the country's newly built liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal's vessel to lower costs.

Arctic Frontiers conference kicks off in Norway's Tromso

The week-long Arctic Frontiers conference kicked off on Sunday as about 1,300 delegates from around the world gathered in the northern Norwegian city of Tromso to discuss the balance between industrial and environmental interests in the Arctic.

Two-thirds of Norwegian oil wealth could disappear

 If crude prices remain at current low levels, Norway could lose two-thirds of its estimated oil wealth, according to an analysis done by the country's largest business newspaper Dagens Næringsliv.

More polar bears on Norway's Svalbard despite changing ice conditions

Norwegian researchers have found that the polar bear population on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard has increased over the past years despite changes in ice conditions, news agency NTB reported on Wednesday.

Ancient crops to be deposited in Norway’s Arctic seed vault for future generations (UN)

UN,  27 August 2015 – As a significant step towards preserving the world’s most important ancient crops for future generations, the head of the United Nations agriculture agency, together with scientists and delegations from Peru, Costa Rica and Norway, today witnessed a ceremony during which potato seeds were deposited to the “safety box” in Arctic seed vault.

Colombia, Norway gear up to tackle tropical deforestation

Colombian and Norwegian leaders on Tuesday urge world leaders to make tackling tropical deforestation a top priority in the lead-up to the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris late this year, the Office of the Norwegian Prime Minister said in a statement.

Lithuania Hopes for Energy Independence, Security With New LNG Terminal

Lithuania's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal "Independence" is a geopolitical project that will lead to energy independence and security of the whole Baltic region, Lithuania's president said at the official ceremony of welcoming the off-shore liquefied natural gas vessel Independence in the port of Klaipeda.

"Klaipeda's LNG terminal will cover almost 90 percent of gas needs of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia," Dalia Grybauskaite, Lithuania's president, said at the ceremony.

Norway unable to supply extra gas to Europe (Energy Minister)

 Norway cannot be a sufficient alternative to Europe in case of a possible cut in gas supplies from Russia, Norway's Energy Minister has said.

According to Aftenposten newspaper, Norwegian Energy Minister Tord Lien sent a letter to European Union officials saying that Norwegian gas will not be an adequate source for Europe if Russia cuts off gas supplies.

There was no way to expand production capacity and to try to do so would overload the system, Lien said in the letter.

EU officials asked Norway, the second gas supplier of Europe after Russia, to report on its possible contribution to European gas flow in early July.

European Commission welcomes electricity subsea cables linking Norway to Germany and UK (EC - 13.10.14)

European Commission, Statement, Brussels, 13 October 2014:

"The EU Commission welcomed the announcement made today by the Norwegian government to licence the construction of two subsea cables linking Norway to Germany and UK. The two 1400 MW subsea cables will enable the three countries to exchange electricity and use the Norwegian hydropower potential.

Vice-President of the EU Commission, responsible for Energy, Günther H. Oettinger said: "This will help enormously to integrate renewable energy in North-West Europe. Germany and UK can sell renewable energy to Norway when weather conditions are such that they produce a lot and Norway can sell electricity from hydropower. This will benefit both sides and balance the system."

Russia dispatches naval force to reopen Arctic base

MOSCOW: Russia on Saturday (Sep 6) sent six ships carrying personnel and equipment to a Soviet-era military base in the Arctic that it is reopening to bolster its presence in the region, Russian news agencies reported. Moscow is ramping up its military presence in the pristine but energy-rich region as other countries such as Canada and Norway are also staking claims to access its resources.

President Vladimir Putin last year ordered the military to return to a base on the far-Northern New Siberian Islands that was abandoned in 1993. On Saturday, a fleet of six ships including two large landing ships set off from the port of Severomorsk in northern Russia, a spokesman for the Western military district, Vadim Serga, told ITAR-TASS news agency.

Greenpeace complaint halts Norway plans to drill northermost oil well

Environmental activists from Greenpeace have blocked plans by Norwegian state-owned oil company Statoil to drill the world’s northernmost oil well, the activists' organization told ITAR-TASS on Monday. Campaigners accuse Statoil of violating the law that bans drilling in ice and near an ice boundary. Russia to apply for Arctic shelf borders in 2015 — minister Sergei Donskoy said.

The halt was called as Transocean operators' Spitsbergen rig made its way towards the site in the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea. Work is now on hold until a Greenpeace complaint is investigated, said the protest group's press officer, Maria Favorskaya.

Norway overtakes Russia as Europe’s biggest gas supplier

Russia lost its position as the main supplier of gas to EU last year as Gazprom exports fell by 10% knocked down by coal and high prices.
High gas prices in the EU coupled with cheap coal from the US, have made coal a more attractive fuel for power stations, according a new energy report from BP. On average, generating power in Europe is 45% cheaper with coal than with gas, BP chief economist Christof  Rühl explains in the report. That’s why Europe did not compete for liquid natural gas (LNG) and its imports to Europe fell by 25%. EU imports from Gazprom also dropped by 10%, as Russia’s gas prices are tied to oil prices and therefore remained high, BP’s economist said.  Norway’s gas pricing is not pegged to oil and are therefore lower. Imports from Norway rose 12%, and 2012 became the first year when Norway sold more gas to the EU than Russia, Rühl said.

Σώζοντας τον τελευταίο κοραλλιογενή ύφαλο της Σουηδίας

Στον ύφαλο κυριαρχούν τα κοράλλια του είδους Lophelia pertusa, το οποίο επιβιώνει μόνο σε συνθήκες υψηλής αλμυρότητας και χαμηλών θερμοκρασιών καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια του έτους. Τέτοιες συνθήκες επικρατούν ανοιχτά των ακτών της δυτικής Σουηδίας, μόνο στο σημείο, όπου παγωμένο νερό από τα βάθη του Ατλαντικού Ωκεανού διοχετεύεται μέσω της Νορβηγικής Τάφρου. (Πηγή: Lophelia II 2009 Deepwater Coral Expedition)
Στο άκουσμα των λέξεων «κοραλλιογενής ύφαλος», ο νους δεν ταξιδεύει στη Σκανδιναβία, αλλά στη μακρινή Αυστραλία και στο αχανές θαλάσσιο οικοσύστημα του Μεγάλου Κοραλλιογενούς Υφάλου.
Και όμως, η Σουηδία διαθέτει έναν και μοναδικό τέτοιο ύφαλο, τον Σέκεν, ο οποίος όμως απειλείται με κατάρρευση. Μία ομάδα επιστημόνων έχει επιδοθεί σε αγώνα δρόμου για να τον σώσει.