From &quot; über green &quot; Norway

Norway says its new giant oil field is actually good for the environment. Critics call it climate hypocrisy

Updated 1034 GMT (1834 HKT) January 19, 2020

(CNN)It's not a boast you usually hear about an oil field: Norway says its huge new facility is great for the environment.

The oil-rich nation claims the Johan Sverdrup field, which was opened with pomp by the Prime Minister last week, is helping to "reduce emissions" because it is completely powered by renewable energy.

"Johan Sverdrup is now open. That's good news for our investors, for Norway -- and for emissions," boasts the official website ofEquinor, the Norwegian state companythat operates the field.

Its critics, however, see Norway's third-biggest oil field ever as a perfect symbol of the Scandinavian country's climate hypocrisy.

The field, located around 87 miles off the Norwegian coast, is named after the country's first prime minister. It has reserves of 2.7 billion barrels of oil, enough to last half a century and bring more than$100 billion into Norway's pocket.

The operation is powered by energy brought from the shore, generated mainly from hydroelectric power -- a rarity for offshore oil fields, most of which are powered by diesel generators.

It is a fitting example ofNorway's approach to climate change. The country was among the first to ratify the Paris Agreement and has pledged to become climate neutral by 2030. It offers its citizens generous subsidies for electric cars and has banned deforestation.

Yet Norway is also amajor fossil fuel producer. It pumps out 2 million barrels of oil a day, according to the International Energy Agency, making it Europe's second biggest producer after Russia. Its natural gas production also surpasses all other European countries.

"Norway has a schizophrenic relationship with climate and oil and gas," Lars-Henrik Paarup Michelsen, CEO of the Norwegian Climate Foundation think tank, told CNN. "We are great at adopting ambitious emission targets, but at the same time we plan for oil and gas production for decades to come."

All of it:

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/19/business/norway-oil-field-climate-change-intl/index.html