The oil company ENI is planning an oil installation offshore instead of a more expensive land based processing plant. Now the application to start developing the first oil filed in the Barents Sea has been sent to the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.
− This is an important milestone for the Goliat license. Now we have taken a large step towards realizing the first oil field in the Barents Sea, ENI Norway writes in a press release.
The Goliat development has met hard criticism from environmentalist, arguing that it will cause even more emissions of greenhouse gases. Recent measuring has shown that the small North-Norway village of Hammerfest already has a higher rate of greenhouse gas emissions than the capitol of Norway, with its 800.000 inhabitants. Just outside the center of Hammerfest lies the LNG-plant for the Snøhvit gas field, which emits large quantities of CO2 in its production.
The Goliat field is situated approximately 50 kilometers off the coast of Hammerfest. The Norwegian environment organization Natur og Ungdom has estimated the emissions from Goliat to be the equivalent of 64 000 cars, and urges the ministry to turn down ENI’s application. The ministry will give ENI an answer by summer 2009.
