Miljøorganisasjon krever innsyn i Equinors miljøplan for omstridt boring i Australbukta

Great Australian Bight Alliance

26 September at 17:13 ·

Equinor has not revealed new information requested by Australian regulator NOPSEMA on its risky Great Australian Bight drilling proposal.

BREAKING NEWS in Norway...

Headlines read - Australian environmental organisations demand to see changes in environment plan ahead of controversial drilling.

#FightForTheBight

ABCNYHETER.NO

Miljøorganisasjon krever innsyn i Equinors miljøplan for omstridt boring i Australbukta

Australske miljøvernere krever å få se Equinors nye miljøplan for den planlagte leteboringen i Australbukta, men Equinor sier nei.

Krever innsyn i Equinors miljøplan for omstridt boring

English translation of an article at
https://www.abcnyheter.no/penger/naeringsliv/2019/09/26/195613792/krever-innsyn-i-equinors-miljoplan-for-omstridt-boring

Business requires insight into Equinor's environmental plan for contentious drilling

“The consequences are too big to take the risk of starting oil exploration in an area with a natural diversity that cannot be found anywhere else in the world” — the opponents of Equinor's oil plans in the GAB.
During Equinor's general meeting in Stavanger in May, environmental organisations hung posters against the company's oil business. Photo: Carina Johansen/NTB scanpix Photo: NTB Scanpix

Australian environmentalists demand to see Equinor's new environmental plan for the planned exploration drilling in the Australbukta, but Equinor says no.

September 26, 2019 05:00 – updated 26. Sep. 2019 10:05

In June, Equinor received notice from the Australian Petroleum Authority NOPSEMA that they needed more information on exploration drilling, which is scheduled to commence at the end of the year 2020/2021. Last week, the company delivered an updated environmental plan, but the content is not yet known. 

The environment group The Wilderness Society believes the legislation requires the company to disclose the information. The original environmental plan was published, and during a 30-day hearing round, it received over 32,000 responses.

“Equinor has been clear that they want transparency around the process. It is evident that the information is important, otherwise the audit would not have asked for it,” said Peter Owen of The Wilderness Society to NTB. 
Press spokesperson Erik Haaland of Equinor told NTB that the company now considers that the updated environmental plan is part of the regulatory process between Equinor and NOPSEMA.

He pointed out that Equinor on his own initiative published the entire draft of the environmental plan before it was submitted. "The consultation process has now been made, and all have been given the opportunity to provide input," he said.
NOPSEMA informs NTB that additional information Equinor provides along the way is not required to be disclosed in accordance with the regulations. However, when the environmental plan is approved, it will be published. It probably happens in mid-November.

More than 10,000 people have demonstrated against Equinor's oil plans this year, according to the Wilderness Society. Surfers have paddled into the sea during the demonstrations and shown posters that say "No Way, NoXWay". 
In Norway, too, the plans have been demonstrated against

See original

Fight for the Bight

The podcast from the 2019 WOMADelaide talk on The Fight For the Bight.

SPEAKERS: Peter Owen, Bunna Lawrie and Jodie Rummer

HOST: Clare Press

Peter Owen (The Wilderness Society), Bunna Lawrie (Mirning Elder and Coloured Stone frontman) and Jodie Rummer (marine scientist, James Cook University) represent a large and growing movement of concerned people, councils, businesses, industries, environmental and scientific organisations opposing the proposed drilling by Norwegian oil company Equinor in The Great Australian Bight.

It’s a David versus Goliath battle in one of the most pristine and diverse ocean environments left on Earth. On one side, Equinor’s supporters point to jobs and economic benefits for the state, while the other highlights oil-spill modelling that shows catastrophic consequences for fisheries and tourism industries worth over $1.5 billion collectively per annum. The risks are real and battle lines are drawn. Find out what the future holds for oil drilling in the Bight.

View other Planet talks at their podcast site

Bight tests on ice as groups wait for Equinor decision

Source: The Advertiser

JADE GAILBERGER

THE controversial search for new oil and gas deposits in the Great Australian Bight will not go ahead next month after investors pulled funding from the seismic-testing project.

It comes as Equinor, which was due to provide more information about its environment plan, has been granted a further extension by the federal regulator.

Testing company PGS was in January granted exploration approval from the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) in the waters near Kangaroo Island. It was forced to push back these operations from March to September.

But a PGS spokesman exclusively told The Advertiser that seismic testing had been put on hold and would not occur next month.

“We don’t have plans to acquire seismic in The Bight this year,” he said. “The companies funding the acquisition have deferred until next year.”

Seismic testing involves injecting large air bubbles into water behind a test ship to record sounds as they bounce back from the ocean floor to detect oil and gas deposits.

Equinor was due to provide more information about its environment plan to NOPSEMA by August 26, but was this month granted an extension until September 27. Equinor’s head of corporate communications, Reidar Gjaerum, will visit South Australia next week. He will meet with the Wilderness Society and tour Ceduna, where Equinor would have its helipad and land-based operations if its drilling plans progress.

Wilderness Society SA director Peter Owen also welcomed the delay.

“Seismic testing has a considerable impact on the marine environment and the Great Australian Bight is a completely inappropriate place for this activity,” Mr Owen said.

“We call on PGS to withdraw their plans for seismic testing … permanently.”

Full story p2 Adelaide Advertiser, Wed 21st August

Tasmanian study shows seismic effect on lobsters

Source: Port Lincoln Times

Jarrad Delaney

A study has reaffirmed concerns by local rock lobster fishers that seismic testing can have an effect on the sensory organs and righting reflexes of rock lobster.

Scientists from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania, together with Centre for Marine Science and Technology at Curtin University have conducted a study which has been published in the biological science journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society B'.

Lead author Dr Ryan Day said the decision to study the effects on rock lobster was because the lobsters were a high value fishery and an important part of global marine ecosystems.

He said the test did not test did not factor in ecological impacts.

"Previous studies have shown that the statocyst, a sensory organ on a lobster's head, is critical in controlling their righting reflex, enabling them to remain coordinated and evade predators," he said.

"After exposing lobsters to the equivalent of a commercial air gun signal at a range of 100-150 metres, our study found that the animals suffered significant and lasting damage to their statocyst and righting reflexes.

"The damage was incurred at the time of exposure and persisted for at least one year - surprisingly, even after the exposed lobsters moulted."

South Australian Northern Zone Rock Lobster Fisherman's Association executive officer Kyri Toumazos said this study reaffirmed industry concerns about seismic surveys in the Great Australian Bight.

"This (study) is certainly clear indication we need caution, we hope the government will take it on board and all environmental regulators," he said.

Full story here

Great Australian Bight oil drilling protest heats up in Victor Harbor

Source: The Advertiser

Michelle Etheridge

Victor Harbor locals want a public meeting for Equinor to address concerns about its plan to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight. The company says it’s already exceeded the consultation that’s required.

EQUINOR should front a public meeting in Victor Harbor to spell out its oil drilling plans for the Great Australian Bight and address concerns about environmental impacts, locals say.

Equinor should front a public meeting in Victor Harbor to spell out its oil drilling plans for the Great Australian Bight and address concerns about environmental impacts, locals say.

The company met with Business Victor Harbor and local councillors on Tuesday about its project, which is expected to begin in 2020/21 if it receives approval.

About 25 people attended the informal meeting, which was not open to the public.

Wilderness Society SA director Peter Owen said about 100 locals held a “vigil” at the foreshore to reiterate their calls for a public meeting.

He said the company was yet to consult with many of the coastal councils, traditional owners and environmental groups that had raised concerns.

“More than 10,000 people have protested against Equinor’s plans at beaches all around Australia in the past few months,” Mr Owen said.

South Coast local Tam Dandridge, who helps run Kingo Surf School with partner and business owner Chris Kingston, said she had contacted Equinor requesting a town hall-style meeting, but to no avail.

Victor Harbor Mayor,
Dr Moira Jenkins

Victor Harbor Mayor Moira Jenkins said many local residents had concerns about issues including potential spills and other mining companies moving into the area if Equinor discovered oil.

“I would like Equinor to come and talk to the community,” Dr Jenkins said.

Business Victor Harbor president Nick Gormley said his organisation invited Equinor to speak to members to hear “the full story” about its plans. He said the company outlined measures in place to prevent an environmental disaster.

Some people who were “dead against” oil drilling in The Bight left Tuesday meeting with a different perspective.

Victor Harbor Mayor Moira Jenkins. Picture: Tom Huntley

Equinor country manager for Australia, Jone Stangeland.

Equinor’s Jone Stangeland said the company had exceeded the consultation required by regulations.

“Over the past two years, we have attended more than 130 meetings,” Mr Stangeland said. “Everyone wants assurances that this can be done safely, and many are also interested in the potential economic benefits that would come from a commercial discovery in the Great Australian Bight.

“We will only carry out a drilling operation in The Bight if we can do it safely.”

Meanwhile, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will on Thursday introduce to the Senate a Bill to stop drilling in The Bight.

Full story here

Northern Endeavour proof oilers can't be trusted: Environmental Groups

Source: Paul Hunt, Energy News Bulletin

ENVIRONMENTAL groups Greenpeace Australia and the Wilderness Society have taken aim at the oil and gas industry this morning following a national regulator ‘prohibition notice’ which shut down the Northern Endeavour FPSO in commonwealth waters this week.

The organisations, which are running a heated campaign against Equinor's plans to drill an exploration well in the Great Australian Bight, say that the latest shutdown is proof that the oil and gas industry cannot be trusted to drill safely in the Bight.

"The truth is accidents and near-misses happen all the time in the oil industry especially when operating in extreme environments far offshore or in deep water - hence the concern with plans to go ahead with drilling in the incredibly hostile Great Australian Bight," Greenpeace Australia Pacific senior campaigner Nathaniel Pelle said.

"These sorts of incidents are rarely publicised, which means the companies responsible often get away with it and escape public scrutiny. Hopefully, this action indicates a willingness to enforce environmental laws more diligently."

This week the national regulator NOPSEMA, took the extraordinary measure of shutting down the Northern Endeavour FPSO over severe safety concerns after an inspection found the FPSO was in such a bad condition that a gas leak or "release of hydrocarbons" could catch fire, risking multiple lives.

Greenpeace said that the ‘stop work' notice was "rare" given that the regulator usually issued ‘improvement notices' and called on NOPSEMA to increase inspections.

"Before someone gets killed or we have another catastrophic oil disaster like the Deepwater Horizon, NOPSEMA should be increasing inspections and stepping in early more often," Pelle said.

Greenpeace's comments were echoed by fellow environmental group, The Wilderness Society, which also drew a line between the FPSO incident and Equinor's plans.

"This shutdown again underscores the huge risks associated with offshore oil and gas drilling, and that's a risk that the vast majority of Australians and coastal communities don't want to take with the marine wonder that is the Great Australian Bight," Wilderness Society campaigner Peter Owen said.

Full story here

Drilling the Great Australian Bight: Government says ‘no way’ Equinor – for now

Source: The New Daily, June 27th * Andrea Hamblin

The safety authority governing the offshore petroleum industry has knocked back a Norwegian oil giant’s plans to drill in the Great Australian Bight.

Protesters are celebrating the decision as a significant win in the battle to ‘Fight for the Bight’, however the federal government has confirmed the door remains open to oil company Equinor to go ahead with its plan.

On Thursday the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) confirmed it was seeking to “clarify matters raised in the plan” put forward by the state-owned Norwegian company, adding there were concerns over “information gaps”.

The authority would not provide details on which aspects of the drilling proposal had raised concerns. The company has two months to submit an updated plan.

Surfers have been leading protests at beaches across Australia.

It comes after Equinor attracted fierce opposition from small coastal groups and local councils, to billionaires Richard Branson and Andrew Forrest, as well as Australian sports stars and musicians.

Much of the concern was centred around the company’s disaster-mitigation strategy, which showed oil could spread across the south coast of the mainland and around Tasmania if the company’s plan goes awry.

Last month, a panel convened by the University of Sydney warned the government about the risks of the ‘overconfident’ oil plan and called on the federal government to hold the oil company to higher standards.

The submission was co-authored by University of Sydney energy and natural resources law expert Dr Madeline Taylor, along with Emeritus Professor Andrew Hopkins (Australian National University), Greg Bourne (Australian Climate Council and former president of BP Australia), and Professor Tina Soliman-Hunter (Aberdeen University Centre for Energy Law).

Full story here

Experts ask authority to hold oil giant to account on Bight plan

Source: Uni of Sydney Press release

22 May 2019

Submission highlights risks in ‘overconfident’ drill plan

A group of energy and natural resource experts, led by the University of Sydney, is calling on Australia's regulator to hold Norwegian oil company Equinor to account over its proposal to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight.

In late April, the University’s Sydney Environment Institute convened a group of experts from academia and industry to consider key issues around drilling in the Bight.

Based on this, these experts have made a pro-bono submission to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).

NOPSEMA is currently assessing Equinor’s Environmental Plan submission to ensure it meets all legislative requirements to proceed.

However, in the submission, the experts call on NOPSEMA to go one step further and hold Equinor to international best-practice standards.

The submission was co-authored by University of Sydney energy and natural resources law expert Dr Madeline Taylor, with Emeritus Professor Andrew Hopkins (Australian National University), Greg Bourne (Australian Climate Council Council and former President of BP Australia), and Professor Tina Soliman-Hunter (Aberdeen University Centre for Energy Law).

In the submission, the experts say that Equinor’s “overconfidence” in its ability to prevent a major spill could lead to catastrophic environmental impacts.

“Throughout the environmental plan, Equinor has consistently made optimistic choices in order to convince the public and NOPSEMA that ‘it is safe’ to drill,” they write.  

“However, we saw a similar style of overconfidence demonstrated in BP’s proposal to drill in the Gulf of Mexico, which led to one of the world’s biggest oil spills in 2010.

“History has shown us that overconfidence precedes catastrophic failure in many spheres of engineering endeavour. No matter how many layers of defence there are between a hazard and an accident, accidents can and still do happen.”

Recommendations from the submission include that NOPSEMA:

• Require Equinor to carry out consultations with selected coastal communities and with other interested parties falling under the definition of ‘relevant persons’ within the applicable  regulations;

• Request Equinor consult with all ‘relevant parties’ in accordance with the ‘leading’ regulatory practice of allowing no less than three months for public comment;

• Secure the public release of Equinor’s Well Operations Management Plan (WOMP);

• Require that Equinor’s wells are inspected during construction, operations and workover stages and compared to the approved WOMP to ensure that the well meets the approved WOMP;

• Ensure Equinor has demonstrated that it has learnt and implemented important lessons from BP’s Gulf of Mexico blowout in 2010, particularly in identifying the human and organisational causes of that blowout;

• Require that Equinor comply with Norway’s world-leading best-practice regulatory standards of drilling in the Bight;

• Require that Equinor adequately address protection of the 41 threatened species within the drilling area, by considering how both direct and indirect impacts will be reduced to ‘as low as reasonably practicable’; and

• Displace the American Petroleum Industry standards with the leading Norwegian NORSOK D-010 standard and adopt a ‘long-term perspective’ in assessing Equinor’s Environmental Plan for the benefit of all Australian citizens.

Read the full submission here

Coffs Coast surfers Fight for the Bight

Source: The Advocate Coffs Coast

COFFS Coast Surfrider is calling for surfers and ocean lovers to take a stand against plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight at a paddle-out this Sunday at 10am at the Jetty Foreshores North Wall beach.

Local campaigners getting behind the Fight for the Bight campaign. Picture: Chris Hewgill.

The Hands across the Sands action is part of a national strategy to oppose the Norwegian mining giant Equinor.　

The multinational is proposing to drill 372km off the Australian coastline, in pristine waters that are home to many species of marine life and also a Southern Right Whale breeding area.

Coffs Coast Surfrider spokesperson Jonathan Cassell said mining oil in the Australian Bight is a significant concern for many Coffs Harbour locals who understand the risks far outweigh any financial benefit.

"These are the roughest seas on the planet and no matter what the economic benefits, the potential for an industrial disaster along the Australian coastline is too great," Jonathan said.　

"Modelling by British Petroleum shows an oil spill in this part of the world would spread a slick across thousands of kilometres with moderate shoreline contact along the coast of NSW.

"A recent information night in Sawtell attracted around 100 people, so we know this is an important issue for many locals on the Coffs Coast."

National coordinator and Valla Beach local Heath Joske will speak at the paddle out event on behalf of the Great Australian Bight Alliance after returning this week from the Equinor AGM in Norway.

"Over 31,000 Australians have written submissions opposing the licenses to drill in the Great Australian Bight and paddle outs have happened all around Australian with over 20,000 people nationwide so far," Heath said.

"We want to send the Morrison government and newly elected Nationals MP Patrick Conaghan a reminder that the LNP promised during their election campaign that they would review Equinor's exploration licence."

Full story here

Climate Change Election: where do parties stand and what can we expect after Saturday?

Source: Reneweconomy.com.au

Michael Mazengarb reports —
Six years ago, following the election of the Abbott Government, the renewable energy industry, and prospects for climate change were cast into a pretty dark period. Strong climate policies were unwound, and investment in new clean energy projects came to a standstill.

At times there seemed to be little hope that climate change could register as a major vote-winning issue in Australian politics.

However, the political environment has turned dramatically in recent years, as the impacts and threats of climate change grow more apparent. According to ABC’s Vote Compass, the economy was by far the most important issue to voters six years ago –  climate change ranked fourth place, behind asylum seekers, and health and hospitals.

In 2019, Vote Compass finds that environment is now top, followed by the economy and then health and super/pensions.

RenewEconomy has taken a look at where each of the three largest parties, the Liberal-National Coalition, the Australian Labor Party, and the Greens stand on climate change, what key groups have had to say about their platforms and their prospects for this year’s election.

We also take a look at some of the independents to watch.

Full details here

Drilling for oil in the Great Australian Bight would be disastrous for marine life and the local community

Source: The Conversation
Sarah Duffy Lecturer, School of Business, Western Sydney University
& Christopher Wright Professor of Organisational Studies, University of Sydney
The Great Australian Bight is home to a unique array of marine life. More than 85% of species in this remote stretch of rocky coastline are not found anywhere else in the world. It’s also potentially one of “Australia’s largest untapped oil reserves”, according to Norwegian energy company Equinor.

Equinor has proposed to drill a deepwater oil well 370km offshore to a depth of more than two kilometres in search of oil.

But a recent poll showed seven out of ten South Australian voters are against drilling in the Bight. And hundreds of people recently gathered on an Adelaide beach in protest.

Their main concerns include the lack of economic benefits for local communities, more fossil fuel investment, weak regulation and the potential for an oil spill, devastating our “Great Southern Reef”.

Drilling in the Great Australian Bight has occurred since the 1960s, but never as deep as what Equinor has proposed.

The Coalition government argues the project will improve energy security and bring money and jobs to the region. Labor announced recently that, if elected, it would commission a study on the consequences of a spill in the region.

So what’s the worst that could happen?
A spill could leak between 4.3 million barrels and 7.9 million barrels – the largest oil spill in history, according to estimates from the 2016 Worst Credible Discharge report, authored by Equinor and its former joint-venture partner, BP.

The Bight is a wild place, with violent storms and strong winds and waves. The geography is remote, unmonitored, largely unpopulated and lacks physical infrastructure to respond effectively to an oil spill.

In such an event, Equinor has said it would take 17 days to respond in a best-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is 39 days, and the goal scenario is 26 days.

In modelling for the worst-case scenario, the company predicts the oil from a spill could even reach from Albany in Western Australia to Port Macquarie in New South Wales.

How likely is an oil spill?
Reports from Norwegian regulators, compiled by Greenpeace, reveal Equinor had more than 50 safety and control breaches, including ten oil leaks, in the last three-and-a-half years. Each incident occurred in regulatory environments with stricter conditions than in Australia.

Our independent regulator, NOPSEMA, does not require inspections of wells during construction to ensure they meet safety standards.

This can be disastrous. For instance, the failure to properly construct the Montara Well in the North West Shelf caused the worst oil spill in Australian history. …

Read more at The Conversation

Great Australian Bight oil-drilling opponents take protest to sea off Norway capital Oslo

Source: Gabriella Marchant, ABC news
More than 100 activists have braved the chilly waters off Oslo in a paddle-out protest against oil drilling proposed for the Great Australian Bight.

Norwegian oil company Equinor wants to search for oil off the coast of South Australia by the end of 2020, but needs approval from the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) to begin.

Local Norwegians joined an Australian delegation of Indigenous and environmental activists who had flown in to protest ahead of Equinor's annual general meeting in Oslo on Wednesday.

Organiser Peter Dawson told the ABC it was the largest paddle-out demonstration ever held in Norway, even though the water was only 8 degrees Celsius.

“It was incredibly moving and heartening to see Norwegians not only paddling side by side with Australians, but chanting ‘fight for the Bight’ as loud as they possibly could,” the Wiradjuri man said.
“I was in the water, surrounded by hundreds of Norwegian surfers splashing and chanting, with Mirning Aboriginal elder Bunna Lawrie in the centre, singing in his traditional language.”

Mirning Aboriginal elder Bunna Lawrie speaks to a crowd of protesters in Oslo. (Supplied: Hallvard Kolltveit)

The Norwegian Government has a 67 per cent majority stake in Equinor.

"Norwegians are concerned that their state-owned oil company is planning to drill in a pristine marine wilderness area in Australia despite the obvious risks and the widespread community opposition," Mr Dawson said.

Mirning people are the traditional owners of the land that borders the Bight, and Mr Lawrie met with Norwegian indigenous Sami people, to discuss their shared experiences with the industry in the two countries.

"The message to Equinor today was clear: this is the wrong project at the wrong time in history," Mr Dawson said.

"The Bight is an utterly inappropriate place for risky deep-sea oil drilling and we can't be opening up new frontier oil fields while the world's scientists are telling us we need to transition away from fossil fuels."

Full story here

Fra Australia til Norge for å protestere mot Equinor-planer / From Australia to Norway to argue against Equinor-plans

Source: NRK, Norway

Tore Tollersrud Journalist
Marit Kolberg Journalist 
Published May 13 at 02:03

OSLO (NRK: NO) Søndag padlet et hundretalls demonstranter ut på fjorden midt i Oslo sentrum for å protestere mot Equinors planlagte oljeboring i Sør-Australia.

Surfere protesterte mot Equinors planlagte oljeboring i Sør-Australia.

Tidligere har surfere padlet ut i vannet utenfor strender i Australia i protest mot Equinors planer om oljeleting i landet.

I dag kom padleprotestene til Norge og operahuset i Oslo.

Budskapet var det samme: ikke start oljeleting «down under».

– Vi ber Equinor trekke seg ut. De planlegger å bore i et svært sårbart område. Hvis noe går galt der, vil det være en katastrofe. Vi ber det norske folk legge press på Equinor slik at de trekker seg ut, sier aksjonens leder Peter Owen til NRK.

Han påpeker at både BP og Exxon har droppet sine planer i området og mener det vil være ødeleggende for det norske firmaet sitt rykte hvis de fortsetter.

Equinors landsjef Australia, Jone Stangeland, sier til NRK at selskapet har brukt to år på utarbeide en miljøplan og at de kan gjennomføre boringen med lave utslipp.

– Vi har levert inn en miljøplan som myndighetene nå skal behandle, og vi går videre med våre planer med en planlagt borestart i slutten av 2020, sier Stangeland

Full story at NRK

Peter Owen, The Great Australian Bight Alliance / Foto: Arld Sandsvik / NRK

English translation
(NRK: NO) Sunday, hundreds of protesters paddled out on the fjord in the middle of Oslo city center to argue against Equinors planned oil drilling in the South Australia.

Surfers objected against Equinors planned oil drilling in South Australia. Previously surfers paddled out in the water outside the beaches in Australia in protest against Equinors plans for oil exploration in the country.

Then came the day the paddle protests came to Norway and the opera house in Oslo.

The message was the same: “Do not start the oil exploration down under.”

“We ask Equinor to extract itself. They plan to drill in a very sensitive area. If something goes wrong there will be a disaster. We ask the Norwegian people to put pressure on the Equinor so that they pull out,” says aksjonens manager Peter Owen told NRK.

He points out that both BP and Exxon Mobil have dropped their plans in the area and believe it will be damaging for the Norwegian company’s reputation if they continue.

Equinors Country Manager Australia, Jone Stangeland, says to NRK that the company has spent two years on the prepare an environmental plan and that they can complete the bore with low emissions.


“We have delivered an environment plan to the authorities to process, and we go on with our plans to start drilling at the end of 2020," says Strangeland

NRK News coverage of Oslo Paddle Out

Click to view the segment

Norske surfere samlet seg i protest mot Equinor foran Operaen / Norwegian surfers gathered in protest against Equinor in front of the Opera House

English translation

A celebrity billionaire, a queen and an overall surf elite are among those protesting against Norwegian oil drilling in Australia: the planned oil exploration is perceived as madness.

On Sunday, surfers and environmentalists gathered for a very non-traditional protest in the Norwegian context.It is a rare sight so deep in the Oslofjord.

“The meeting here says something about the growing opposition also here in Norway,” said head of Greenpeace Norway, Frode Pleym.

The protest is against Equinor, the state-dominated oil company that plans to look for oil in the Great Australian Bight, the sea area just south of Australia.

Equinor has been met with major protests both locally and internationally, which believe that the scenic area is too vulnerable to oil exploration.

Paddle out against Equinor
First, the surf boards gently splashes in the Oslo fjord.Then the surfers throw themselves after, one by one, into the icy water. But the sun shines, and the surfers have thick wetsuits, so they don't freeze.

This form of protest is called a paddle out. It has a long tradition in Australia and the United States, two countries with strong surf culture.

In recent months, surfers have arranged a number of such protests several places in the world, but this is the first in front of the opera.
Saturday there was a smaller event in Stavanger.

“For me, the planned oil exploration is perceived as madness from both a brand and an economic point of view, as Equinor, as all others, must be more quickly transformed from fossil to renewable energy. And it is an insult to all of us who are illuminating action in terms of climate change and in terms of commitments we must face in the Paris treaty,” Pleym said.

In Australia, the protests have been going on for a long time, even before Equinor took over the exploration licences two years ago.

According to the environmental organisation The Wilderness Society, over 50.000 people participated in demonstrations throughout Australia in recent weeks.


Seventeen City Councils along the south coast have adopted that they are opposed, according to the Great Australian Bight Alliance.

Jess Lerch, the leader of The Wilderness Society, is in Norway to attend Equinor’s general meeting in the coming week.

“It makes me humble to see all the commitment here in Norway as well, and it’s amazing to be here. I am looking forward to coming back to Australia and telling about the commitment up here,” Lerch said.

– How likely do you think it is that Equinor will give in to the pressure?

“I think the question is when and how. The Australian people are not going to let this go on. The question is just how much pressure is going to be needed and how long it’s going to take,” Lerch said.

Source: Aftenposten, Norway
En kjendismilliardær, en dronning og en samlet surfeelite er blant dem som protesterer mot norsk oljeboring i Australia: – Den planlagte oljeletingen oppleves som galskap.

Søndag samlet surfere og miljøaktivister seg for en svært utradisjonell protest i norsk sammenheng. Det er et sjeldent syn så dypt inne i Oslofjorden.

– Oppmøtet her sier noe om den voksende motstanden også her i Norge, sier leder i Greenpeace Norge, Frode Pleym.

Protesten er mot Equinor, det statsdominerte oljeselskapet som planlegger å lete etter olje i Australbukta, havområdet rett sør for Australia.

Equinor er blitt møtt med store protester både lokalt og internasjonalt, som mener at det naturskjønne området er for sårbart for oljeleting.

«Padler ut» mot Equinor

Først klasker surfebrettene forsiktig ut i Oslofjorden. Så kaster surferne seg etter, en etter en, i det iskalde vannet. Men solen skinner, og surferne har tykke våtdrakter, så de fryser ikke.

Denne protestformen kalles en «paddle out». Det har en lang tradisjon i Australia og USA, to land med sterk surfekultur.

De siste månedene har surfere arrangert en rekke slike protester flere steder i verden, men dette er den første foran Operaen.

Lørdag var det en mindre markering i Stavanger.

– For meg oppleves den planlagte oljeletingen som galskap fra både et merkevare- og et økonomisk synspunkt, ettersom Equinor som alle andre raskere må omstille fra fossilt til fornybar energi.
Og det er en fornærmelse mot alle oss som etterlyser handling når det gjelder klimaendringene og med tanke på forpliktelsene vi må møte i Parisavtalen, sier Pleym.

I Australia har protestene pågått i lang tid, også før Equinor «tok over» letelisensene for to år siden. Ifølge miljøorganisasjonen

The Wilderness Society har over 50.000 personer deltatt i demonstrasjoner over hele Australia de siste ukene.
17 bystyrer langs sørkysten har vedtatt at de er imot, ifølge organisasjonen Great Australian Bight Alliance.

Jess Lerch, lederen i The Wilderness Society er i Norge for å delta på Equinors generalforsamling den kommende uken.

– Det gjør meg ydmyk å se alt engasjementet her i Norge også, og det er utrolig å være her. Jeg gleder meg til å komme tilbake til Australia og fortelle om engasjementet her oppe, sier Lerch.

– Hvor sannsynlig tror du det er at Equinor kommer til å gi etter for presset?

– Jeg tror spørsmålet er når og hvordan. Det australske folket kommer ikke til å la dette fortsette. Spørsmålet er bare hvor mye som skal til og hvor lang tid det kommer til å ta, sier Lerch.

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Photo: Siri Øverland Eriksen
The paddle out near the Opera House, Oslo

Surfers show solidarity against Equinor's plans to drill Great Australian Bight

Protesters at Kiama Harbour. Picture: Andy Gray.

Source: Kiama Independent
Surfers of all ages conducted a peaceful protest at Kiama Harbour before paddling out to show solidarity as they joined a nationwide campaign against drilling for oil in the Great Australian Bight.

About 100 protesters, including organisers Rusty Moran and Chris Homer of the Surfrider Foundation and Gilmore Greens candidate Carmel McCallum, got together to protest against Norwegian oil company Equinor and its plans to exploratory drill off the southern coastline of mainland Australia.

Surfrider Foundation South Coast Branch delegate Rusty Moran spoke to the group, outlining the risks drilling poses to the Bight. The company's proposed Stromlo-1 well would be located 372km off the coast of South Australia and 476km west of Port Lincoln.

"If we weigh it up on balance, here's the upside - they're potentially going to drill for 40 years and create 1500 jobs," he said.

"But, the downside is, if they have a spill which is pretty damn likely over 40 years, it will be the same sort of magnitude of the gulf of Mexico spill which BP caused in 2010.
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International leaders raise their voices against Great Australian Bight oil drilling

Source: The New Daily
An independent group of global leaders, who call themselves ‘Ocean Elders’, has written a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten calling on them to intervene and stop the drilling from going ahead.

“If we are to meet the Paris Climate Accord to limit global warming to less than 1.5 degrees, it is essential that we do not open up new fossil fuel reserves, let alone in extremely dangerous and high conservation value environments such as the Bight,” the letter reads.

“Due to the depth and roughness of the seas in the Bight, and the absence of knowledge about pressure and temperature beneath the sea-bed, the likelihood of an accident is higher than in existing oil basins.”

The letter has been signed by Nobel Laureates and high-profile leaders including the Prince of Monaco Albert II, Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson and United Nations Messenger of Peace and renowned anthropologist Dame Jane Goodall.

The group wants a permanent ban on oil exploration in the Great Australian Bight, which is home to more than 30 species of whales and dolphins and more unique biodiversity than the Great Barrier Reef.

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Elliston residents involved in Great Australian Bight symposium in Sydney

Source: West Coast Sentinel
Elliston residents Ian and Jay Dudley have returned from a symposium about oil extraction in the southern ocean at the University of Sydney, where panelists have lent expertise to discussions about drilling in the Great Australian Bight.

The April 23 event was hosted by the Sydney Environment Institute where the pair participated as panelists.

"Both my wife and I participated as community members from the region and conveyed some of the concerns and questions many people along our shores have with the idea," Mr Dudley said.

He said his wife initially attended to support him, but due to her experience in Fight for the Bight campaigns in Elliston, was able to engage with the panel members too.

"It was good to have two people with local knowledge there and experience instead of just one," he said.

Other panelists included world experts in engineering, constitutional law, marine science, and the global petroleum and gas industry, including a few people who had worked extensively for BP and Shell during their careers.

"All of them were of the opinion that as it currently stands, from a regulatory, legislative and financial point of view, even before we consider environmental issues, the proposed industrialisation of the Great Australian Bight presents a massive risk to our region and to the nation as a whole," Mr Dudley said.

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