The international project on CO2 ocean sequestration. A summary of the experiment permitting process in Norway, 2002

Abstract

Norway has been a member of the international research team on CO2 ocean sequestration since 1997, along with Japan, USA and Canada. Following a decision in the project's Steering Committee in 2001 an application for a permit to conduct an experiment with injection of CO2 offshore Norway was sent to the Norwegian State Pollution Control Authority (SFT) in January 2002, and a permit was given by SFT shortly thereafter. In May, 2002, a representative from the socialist party in the Norwegian Storting (Parliament) raised a question about the background and legality of the permit to the Minister of Environment. A suspension of the permit with new treatment and hearing round followed. After this, SFT still upheld it's original decision and reissued the permit in July, 2002. However, protests and pressure from some environmental groups led to the final decision by the Minister of Environment on 22 August 2002 to deny a permit. The decision by the Ministry implied a demobilisation of the project, and caused a lot of concern and disturbance among the project group and all it's contracted logistics suppliers etc. This report gives a summary of the events and arguments through 2002 that may have led to the Minister's final decision, and also some review of what happened afterwards. No objective evaluation or interpretation of the permitting process and the decision was attempted.