After a thorough Information and Consultation process with employees and their representatives the Board of Directors of Esso Norge AS has decided to convert its Slagen refinery to a Fuel import terminal.

Slagen refinery operates in an increasingly challenging market, characterized by strong competition, evolving regulatory measures and falling demand leading to overcapacity in the market. In this environment the continued Slagen refinery operation is not economically viable over the long term.
Ongoing reliable fuel supply for Esso customers will be ensured through import of high quality fuel products.

We thank our employees for their tremendous efforts to improve the performance of the Slagen refinery. We understand the significant impact of the decision on our employees, and remain committed to supporting them during this challenging time.

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Equinor and partners Petoro, Shell, Total and ConocoPhillips have decided in favour of Troll West electrification, and today submit the plan for development and operation to the minister of petroleum and energy. The decision includes partial electrification of the Troll B platform and full electrification of Troll C in the North Sea.

This will cut CO2 emissions by almost half a million tonnes per year, i.e. the equivalent of more than three percent of total emissions from oil and gas production and one percent of total emissions in Norway. NOx emissions from the field will be reduced by some 1700 tons per year.

“Electrification is essential to successful reduction of the emissions from the NCS, and we have ambitious plans for this. The partnership’s decision to electrify Troll B and Troll C will cut emissions substantially. The Troll area will deliver enormous volumes of low-emission energy for many decades, adding great value for the companies and for Norway,” says Kjetil Hove, Equinor’s executive vice president for Development & Production Norway.

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As the American Jobs Plan, President Biden’s $2.25 trillion infrastructure package proposes a $174 billion investment ‘’to win the EV [electric vehicle] market.” The goal of 500,000 charging stations across the U.S. by 2030 is big probably not ambitious enough. The American Energy Alliance, for instance, reports that “wouldn’t even amount to 50% of what is needed in California alone.” There’s also a strong push to electrify school buses and transit vehicles. As for electricity to power heavy-duty trucking (e.g., a climate mandate in California), some experts believe that sheer weight might make it physically impossible.

The climate goal of electrification is a triad: transportation, industry, and buildings. For example, some “blue” states such as California and Washington are banning direct usage of natural gas in homes in favor of electricity, while “red” states such as Oklahoma and Louisiana are doing the reverse, preemptively “banning the bans” against gas.

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