As discussed in GEO ExPro Vol. 9 No. 5, the seas around Norway’s remote northern Lofoten Islands remain the largest unopened section of the Norwegian Atlantic Ocean, and environmentalists are strongly opposed to these pristine waters being licensed for hydrocarbon exploration. At the beginning of February, however, this possibility moved a step closer, when Norway’s ruling Labour Party said it may support exploration, suggesting that the way forward would be an impact assessment study. This is contrary to their previous stance, as two years ago, after months of dispute, they struck a deal with their smaller coalition partners to forbid oil exploration off the islands until the parliamentary term ends in 2013.
The Lofoten Islands, 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, have unique cold water reefs and are an important spawning ground for cod. They shelter killer and sperm whales and are a very popular destination for hikers, mountaineers and birdwatchers, and there are moves to make them a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But the area is also believed to hold at least 1.3 Bboe, and the Norwegians speculate that discoveries in this area could help boost their production, which is expected to fall to a 25-year low this year.
