Languages

First oil from Yamal

With trucks and railway, Gazprom Neft this winter transported the first 10000 tons of oil from the Novoportovskoye field in the Yamal Peninsula.

May 15, 2013
Comments
Where the wind blows the most

The Varanger Kraft company is investing almost €80 million in a wind power project on Norway's Arctic coast, at one of the most windy spots in Europe.

May 07, 2013
Comments
Preparing for visit to Kirkenes, Medvedev says drill

One month ahead of his visit to the Norwegian Barents town of Kirkenes, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev issues licenses to four nearby Barents Sea fields.

May 03, 2013
Comments
Gazprom boosts offshore reserves

Under increasing pressure from competitors and the authorities, the Russian gas major is stepping up exploration and drilling in Arctic waters.

May 03, 2013
Comments
Rosneft, Novatek join efforts against Gazprom

Relations between Russia’s three biggest energy companies get increasingly tense as Rosneft and Novatek together seek to push Gazprom down from its powerful monopoly position.

April 26, 2013
Comments
Skrugard-Havis fields renamed

Norway’s oil minister has decided to rename Statoil’s Skrugard and Havis discoveries in the Barents Sea to the Johan Castberg field.

April 23, 2013
Comments
Norway ready to drill along Russian border

The Norwegian government’s readiness to drill in the formerly disputed waters in the Barents Sea opens not only a new petroleum province, but possibly also a new phase in relations with Russia.

April 23, 2013
Comments
Labor party supports impact study of Arctic drilling

Norway took a major step towards opening environmentally sensitive areas in the Arctic to oil and gas exploration when the ruling Labor Party gave green light for an environmental impact assessment.

April 22, 2013
Comments
Shtokman forever in mind

Shtokman project will never be excluded from the oil and gas industry list of strategic priorities according to vice Minister of Energy Kirill Molodsov.

April 18, 2013
Comments
Norwegian gas for Russian Barents

Murmansk region will import Norwegian gas for heating instead of Russian fuel oil.

April 17, 2013
Comments
Construction of Sabetta port to start this summer

Construction of Sabetta port, a key component in the huge Yamal LNG project, is planned to start in July-August 2013.

April 17, 2013
Comments
Italians ready to map Russian-Norwegian waters

As part of its agreement with Rosneft, Italian oil major Eni is preparing for seismic mapping in the formerly disputed Russian-Norwegian waters.

April 16, 2013
Comments
Statoil wants back into Shtokman

The best alternative according to Statoil is to develop the field using a floating LNG plant, rejecting the planned pipeline to Teriberka outside Murmansk .

April 16, 2013
Comments
First oil from Yamal

With trucks and railway, Gazprom Neft this winter transported the first 10000 tons of oil from the Novoportovskoye field in the Yamal Peninsula.

May 16, 2013 Comments
Where the wind blows the most

The Varanger Kraft company is investing almost €80 million in a wind power project on Norway's Arctic coast, at one of the most windy spots in Europe.

May 07, 2013 Comments
Hercules investigation report postponed for fifth time

The investigation report after the Hercules aircraft crash in Kebnekaise in March 2012 is still not ready and has been postponed for the fifth time.

May 07, 2013 Comments
Norwegian-Russian POMOR-2013 naval exercise starts this week

Norwegian and Russian naval forces will soon be ready to start the annual POMOR exercise. Norway’s frigate “KNM Helge Ingstad” today arrived at the Northern Fleet’s main base of Severomorsk.

May 07, 2013 Comments POMOR-2012 Naval Exercises
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment released

KIRUNA: the Arctic Council’s biodiversity group today released the “Arctic Biodiversity Assessment”, a report containing the best available science on the status and trends of Arctic biodiversity and accompanying policy recommendations for biodiversity conservation.

May 15, 2013 Comments
Landmark carbon dioxide levels bad news for Arctic

Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are poised to consistently climb above 400 parts per million for the first time in human history - a reality that has damning implications for the Arctic.

May 14, 2013 Comments
New credits save Lapland iron

After having been on the verge of bankruptcy, the Northland Resources now confirms that it has the funding needed for continued development of the great Kaunisvaara iron mine project in northern Sweden.

May 08, 2013 Comments
Svalbard coal mine reduces staff

World’s northernmost coal company posts huge loss and is forced to send miners home from the Arctic.

May 04, 2013 Comments Svea coal mine on Svalbard
Yes to China, No to EU

KIRUNA: The Arctic Council welcomed six new observer countries this morning, among them China, Japan and South Korea. But one was notably absent: the European Union.

May 15, 2013 Comments
Canada brings indigenous voice to Arctic policy

KIRUNA: The first indigenous chairperson of the Arctic Council said she will use her two-year term to raise awareness of how important the indigenous way of life is and will put the interests of northern people first when considering Arctic research, development and policy.

May 15, 2013 Comments Has gallery images
Indigenous people discuss their role in a changing Arctic

In a rapidly changing Arctic, the region's indigenous people are standing at the forefront of climate change and resource development – a situation that's putting them increasingly in the international spotlight and raising questions about their role in Arctic policy making.

May 18, 2013 Comments
Spektakel break in 2014

10 Barents Spektakel festivals in a row in Kirkenes calls for a one year festival break for the organizers in the art curator group "Pikene på Broen". The next festival will probably be held in the winter of 2015.

April 25, 2013 Comments
Peak hours at Barents borders

The first days of May have been all time high for border-crossings at Russia’s northernmost check-points to Europe.

May 07, 2013 Comments Storskog - Borisoglebsk border check-points
Finland, Russia aim at smoother border traffic

A cross-administrative border traffic working group is established to facilitate trade and travelling between the countries.

April 04, 2013 Comments
Nordic protest after Russian inspection

Russia’s crack-down on foreign funded groups have reached Nordic Council’s information office in Kaliningrad. Carl Bildt and the other Nordic Foreign Ministers lodge sharp protest.

May 03, 2013 Comments
EU: Strengthen civil society in Barents Council

EU’s Economic and Social Committee recommends in its Arctic Policy opinion that key civil society partners should be given a stronger advisory role in the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.

May 02, 2013 Comments
Victory Day celebrated

Last Thursday people all over Russia celebrated Victory Day, which marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War. BarentsObserver brings you photos from the celebrations in Murmansk, Nikel, Arkhangelsk and Litsa.

May 13, 2013 Comments Has gallery images
YLE starts publishing in language spoken by 400

Finland’s Sámi radio contributes to save the seriously endangered Inari Sámi language by going online with dedicated news.

May 09, 2013 Comments