Med amerikanske grensevakter på Oslo Lufthavn Gardermoen kunne USA-turen blitt enklere, og flyplassen blitt et mer attraktivt knutepunkt. Nå har regjeringen skrinlagt prosjektet.
For flypassasjerer til USA kan den amerikanske grensekontrollen være tidkrevende og slitsom.
Derfor begynte Norge i mai 2017 å forhandle med amerikanske myndigheter om en fremskutt grensekontroll på Gardermoen.
Les hele saken HER.
The Boring Company og norske Seabrokers, der Ketil Solvik-Olsen er forretningsutvikler, har nylig hatt digitale møter med partiene i transportkomiteen på Stortinget.
Musk-selskapets interesse bekreftes i en merknad fra Fremskrittspartiet i dagens innstilling fra transportkomiteen i Stortinget om finaniseringsplanen for E18 Vestkorridoren.
I merkanden skriver Frps medlemmer at norske Seabrokers og Elon Musk-selskapet The Boring Company nylig har presentert et konsept de mener har potensiale for å redusere bygge- og driftskostnader betydelig for vei- og kollektivløsninger.
Les hele saken HERE.
CO2 sequestration today is almost exclusively an onshore operation, involving networks of pipelines, compressors, and teams of personnel to oversee it all. In a newly released video, Equinor has proposed another idea: a fleet of electrically-powered submarines that will carry CO2 to subsea injection sites autonomously.
Each of these “subsea shuttles” would be 135 m (443 ft) long, roughly equivalent to eight semi-trucks parked one after another, but significantly taller. Equinor has shared the concept so far only on its LinkedIn page where it said the idea was the result of a collaboration between an inventor and experts in IT, 3D printing, and CO2 management.
In the computer animation, multiple shuttles are shown transiting to and from a subsea installation that also features resident underwater vehicles—itself an emerging but not fully realized concept.
STAVANGER – Neodrill and Baker Hughes announced completion of the world’s first cut and recover operation for Wintershall Dea Norge in the Norwegian Sea. Rig time was reduced by an estimated 12 hours, with work to cut the surface casing moved off the critical path of the rig schedule.
The project enabled the rig to abandon the well site as soon as the cement plugs were in place. The surface casing was then cut from a vessel, using Baker Hughes’ new casing cutting tool. This optimized process removes the need for unnecessary, expensive rig time in the abandonment phase.
The new ‘cut and recover’ service will now be offered as part of Neodrill’s CAN-complete. The CAN-complete sees Neodrill offer a full service Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) solution to manage all aspects of a CAN installation, reducing the operator’s internal resource requirements and overheads. With the inclusion of cut and recover, the CAN-complete will now also reduce rig time in the abandonment phase by allowing the rig to leave the well site after setting the cement plugs.
Read entire article HERE.
The June edition of the AmCham Sustainability Forum brought together BI’s Per Espen Stoknes and Rud Pedersen Public Affairs’ Gørill Husby Moore for a highly engaging, timely session on the effects of COVID-19 for corporate sustainability efforts. Stoknes and Husby Moore took participants through the rapidly evolving sustainability ecosystem – from public policy to investment – highlighting challenges, opportunities, and the heightened importance of cross-industry collaboration.
You can see a full recording of the forum in the video player on the right side of the screen.
Per Espen Stoknes – Associate Professor
Gørill Husby Moore – Partner
Stoknes, who also serves as MDG’s first alternate representative to the Storting, took participants through the green vs. grey growth dichotomy, noting how important it is for companies to maximize green growth – the increase of economic activities/growth with a lower environmental impact. He took participants through several industry-specific cases, noting how COVID-19 has not impacted the development of green growth end-user innovations or ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investments. In fact, he argued, these are still “taking off” and were not “punctured by COVID.”
Stoknes noted the importance of achieving genuine green growth (GGG), defined as where the percent change in the ration of value creation to resource use exceeds five percent. He highlighted Denmark and Sweden as countries that have excelled in this area, while noting that both the US and Norway have room for improvement.
Key to achieving GGG, Stoknes added, are policies and financing that can facilitate the development and adoption of green innovations. A critical component of these efforts include the customer. When Stoknes was asked what companies should do when they embrace sustainability initiatives more readily their customers, he noted the importance of pulling, not just pushing, customers to embrace sustainable innovations.
In particular, Stoknes highlighted how AmCham member Tesla excelled in this area, noting that the company did not try to push customers to embrace the product – instead, their vehicles had pull.
“They’re cool. They’re a status object. Tesla’s product is not just more efficient or sustainable – it is better.”
Before heading off to the Storting for a debate, Stoknes reminded participants of the importance of making it simpler and more convenient to choose sustainable products, in addition to encouraging AmCham to “keep up the good work” in facilitating important sustainability dialogues between companies across industries.
Rud Pedersen’s Gørill Husby Moore then took over, guiding participants through the complexities of sustainable policy and communications, highlighting how they have evolved in response to COVID-19.
Drawing upon her background as a foreign correspondent in Africa and Mexico for publications such as Time Magazine, Husby Moore shared her insights with a global perspective. She noted that before the COVID-19 outbreak, companies were rapidly embracing the concept of the triple bottom line – people, planet, and profit – with some even embracing another “p” – purpose.
Like Stoknes before her, Husby Moore noted that COVID-19 did not diminish the importance of sustainability. In fact, it only enhanced the importance of acknowledging science, noting, “You cannot negotiate with the virus or climate change. And unlike the former, you cannot self-isolate from the latter.”
Therefore, businesses must act. In collaboration with a Brussels-based colleague, Husby Moore developed three key takeaways which she shared with forum participants:
“Commit to a zero-emission plan, anticipate new legislation and act proactively – and, lastly, do not let perfection get in the way of change. Many let the fear of greenwashing lead to green hushing. When it’s real action and real impact — not greenwashing — let’s end the green hushing!”
To conclude, Husby Moore encouraged participants to embrace transparency and build connections to people, letting them into the decision-making processes. Research has shown that trust in science, governments, and organization increases when there is transparency in these processes.
“Going forward, these same citizens – your customers and your employees – will expect the same transparency from the companies they buy from, partner with, and work for.”
Many AmCham companies have been on the sustainability journey for some time, while others are trying to find their way to a sustainable future. Though our members are represented through the full spectrum, we know that several are at the forefront within their respective industries.
Hence, AmCham brings select, cross-industry member company representatives together on a quarterly basis to discuss opportunities, share best practices and find out how AmCham members can play a role in the Norwegian sustainability agenda going forward. Read more about our Sustainability forum here, and please contact us for interest in future forums at amcham@amcham.no.
In collaboration with fellow Nordic AmChams, AmCham Norway hosted an exclusive session on the 2020 US Elections with Fox News Radio White House Correspondent Jon Decker and Eirik Bergesen, a political commentator, US expert, and former diplomat currently co-hosting Trumps verden on TV2.
Decker broke down the election state-by-state, bringing together the latest electoral trends with his decades of experience covering American presidential politics. While an escalating unemployment rate, massive protest movements around racial discrimination, and a global pandemic present critical challenges to Trump’s re-election chances, Decker noted that Trump’s core voter base remains unwavering in its support of the President.
Decker argued that three states – Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan – will likely play the deciding role in the 2020 election. Wisconsin, in particular, stand out as especially critical, and Decker estimates that whoever wins the state of Wisconsin will be the strongest candidate to win the White House come November. Biden’s pick for vice president, Decker added, could be instrumental in securing these key battleground states. He then went on to underline the importance of analyzing the election holistically, eschewing national polls for state-by-state and district-by-district analysis. US presidential elections, as Decker reminded participants, are not decided by the popular vote but rather the Electoral College, something political commentators around the world were starkly reminded of in 2016. Decker concluded by underscoring the difficulty political pundits and analysts alike will have in predicting the outcome, noting “this race for the White House will be exceedingly close.”
Following his presentation, Decker engaged in an interactive discussion with event participants moderated by Bergesen. Bergesen began by reflecting upon the extensive amount of time he has spent in the United States, concluding that he, like many others, did not predict Trump’s victory in 2016. He then noted the genuine interest for US politics in the Nordics, highlighting how many wonder how Trump’s poll numbers remain so consistent, despite a near constant stream of complex political developments. Bergesen and Decker concluded by fielding questions ranging from the impact of evangelical Christians on the electoral cycle to Biden’s choices for vice president.
A glut of benchmark North Sea oil that’s been sitting on ocean-going tankers for weeks is starting to diminish.
Millions of barrels of the region’s unwanted crude have been stashed on oil tankers since the coronavirus caused a demand collapse. But now the volumes are starting to shrink sharply, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Anchored on vessels everywhere from the U.K., to France and the Netherlands, the floating hoard reached 12 million barrels at the end of May. That figure has now dropped by 35%.
Read entire article HERE.
Grand Hotel Oslo is very pleased to announce that its doors are opening again, and the hotel’s staff is looking forward to welcoming you.
Located in the heart of Oslo, equipped with great facilities and a wide array of meeting rooms, salons and banquet halls, the hotel has everything is in place for a tailor-made meeting or a smaller gathering. The seventh floor meeting room is filled with daylight and has a beautiful view over Oslo. If you wish for a smaller and more intimate room, the hotel has several elegant and private suites also available for meetings.
New regulations for meetings have been put in place, and for Grand Hotel, it is the hotel’s highest priority that meeting guests and organizers feel safe and gain a unique experience at the Hotel. Thus, new infection control measures have been implemented as well as updated and thorough cleaning routines in order for you to meet at Grand Hotel without worries.
Grand Hotel’s professional team members have solid knowledge and experience, and will take care of all the important details, so you can be confident that your meeting will go off as planned.
You are more than welcome to contact Grand Hotel via telephone +47 23 21 20 00 or e-mail arrangement@grand.no.
Last November’s AmCham Thanksgiving Charity Dinner raised a record breaking NOK 92 900 for charitable partner New Story. With home construction cost at approximately $6,500, the contribution was not only enough to build a home for the Guzman Family, but also a new home for a second family in El Salvador.
This second home has now been allocated to Sandra Janeth Sanchez and her two little boys, Jonathan (7) and Gerardo (2). She is a single mother who works as a grocer to provide for her family of three. This new home and safe neighborhood will provide them security, dignity and hope for the future.
Currently, all of New Story’s projects are on hold and it is still unclear when construction will start up again. Paused at the end of March, the land is prepared and almost all home foundations have been dug and set. We will share more updates on the progress once progress has resumed!
Finding owners willing to pilot-test an onboard remotely-operated proactive hull cleaning unit wasn’t easy, but when Jotun reached out to Wallenius Wilhelmsen, they found a partner who shared their vision for a more environmentally-responsible shipping industry.
As the operator of a fleet of 126 RoRo vessels, 11 marine terminals and 71 processing centres around the world, Wallenius Wilhelmsen is a true global giant. And while the company has a long and proud history moving cargoes all over the world, Wallenius Wilhelmsen has also been a pioneer in seeking new ways to reduce its environmental impact.
Read entire article HERE.