IOGP Europe’s response to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on EU Arctic Policy

IOGP Europe represents the upstream oil and gas industry in Europe. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the Commission’s call for evidence on its Arctic Policy. The European Arctic includes important hydrocarbon basins that provide a significant portion of the Norwegian oil and gas production that is imported into the European Union and contributes to both the EU’s security of energy supply and delivering Methane Emissions Regulation (MER) potentially compliant hydrocarbons to the Union.

The oil and gas industry recognizes that the Arctic is a sensitive environment. The industry has worked hard in recent decades to develop and implement specific best practices and guidance, including specifically for the Arctic-region. In Europe, Arctic operations are limited to Norwegian waters, which are ice-free year-round. Operators in those Norwegian waters take great care to prevent environmental incidents and in the past 45 years there have been no serious environmental incidents in the Norwegian Arctic associated with oil and gas production. The first oil well was completed in 1981.

Currently about 9% (365 kboe/day) of Norwegian hydrocarbons are produced in the Arctic (here defined as north of the Arctic Circle), and around 30% come from the broader ‘northern Norway region’. Offshore Norge expect that in the future the ‘northern Norway region’ may account for around 50% of Norwegian hydrocarbon production.

IOGP Europe stresses the importance of continued access to hydrocarbons in Arctic regions and other northern areas - and in particular from Norway, Greenland, Alaska and Canada - to provide security of hydrocarbon supply, and MER potentially compliant hydrocarbons to the EU.

IOGP and its members have developed a range of best practice guidance documents, and contributed to international standards (e.g., ISO Standards) that present best practices for Arctic operations, including the Arctic Oil Spill Response Joint Industry Project (https://www.arcticresponsetechnology.org/reports/). The evidence of 45 years without significant environmental incidents in the Norwegian Arctic demonstrates that the industry can, and does, operate safely and responsibly in these challenging environments.

A list of selected industry best practices are provided to demonstrate the industry’s commitment to safe and reliable operations in the Arctic and other cold climates:

• Thirty two (32) separate technical reports on oil spill preparedness issued under Arctic Response Technology JIP, available at: https://www.arcticresponsetechnology.org/reports/
• IOGP, 2013. Environmental management in Arctic oil & gas operations – good practice guide. IOGP Report 449 (note: currently proposed for update)

In addition, IOGP’s members have contributed to international standards, including:

• ISO 19906: 2019 Petroleum and natural gas industries – Arctic offshore structures
• ISO 35101: 2017 Petroleum and natural gas industries – Arctic operations – Working environment
• ISO 35102: 2020 Petroleum and natural gas industries – Arctic operations – Escape, evacuation and rescue from offshore installations
• ISO 35103: 2017 Petroleum and natural gas industries – Arctic operations – Environmental monitoring
• ISO 35104: 2018 Petroleum and natural gas industries – Arctic operations – Ice management
• ISO 35105: 2018 Petroleum and natural gas industries – Arctic operations – Material requirements for Arctic operations
• ISO 35106: 2017 Petroleum and natural gas industries – Arctic operations – Metocean, ice, and seabed data

IOGP Europe believes that Arctic hydrocarbon production can be undertaken safely and responsibly, which has been demonstrated for over 45 years in the Norwegian Arctic. Arctic provinces supply a significant, and growing, portion of the imported Norwegian hydrocarbon into the EU and are critical for security of energy supply, and as a potential source of Methane Emission Regulation-compliant hydrocarbons.