Norway Blocks Arctic Drilling to Protect Nordland 6

Norway's centre-left government has decided not to open the Nordland 6 area for oil and gas exploration, rebuffing calls from the opposition Conservative Party. Energy Minister Terje Aasland stated that there are sufficient other areas for responsible development, emphasizing environmental considerations.

Norway's centre-left government will not open the area known as Nordland 6 for oil and gas exploration, the country's energy minister told parliament on Wednesday.

The opposition Conservative Party on Tuesday said it wanted to allow energy companies to drill in the offshore Arctic Nordland 6 waters, which could hold hundreds of millions of barrels of oil and gas, according to official estimates. "We won't open that area, there are more than enough other areas available to develop the oil and gas industry in a responsible way," Minister of Energy Terje Aasland said.