Petroleum operations rank as far and away Norway’s biggest industry by value creation, government revenues and export value.

  • The government’s net cash flow from oil and gas in 2023 is put at NOK 903 billion.
  • Norwegian production in 2023 was about 233 million scm oe, or some four million barrels per day. Gas accounted for about half this volume.
  • Roughly 200 000 people were directly or indirectly employed in the petroleum sector in 2021, including some 25 000 working offshore.

Havtil’s role

Havtil has regulatory responsibility for safety, the working environment, emergency preparedness and security in the petroleum industry. It develops the HSE regulations and supervises that the companies operate prudently.

The expertise of its specialists and knowledge gained from audits mean the authority has a lot of information. Communicating this helps to maintain high levels of safety and the working environment.

Havtil also serves as a directorate, providing technical advice to the Ministry of Energy as its parent body.

Supervision is exercised over petroleum operations on the NCS and at seven associated land plants. Responsibility for the latter was conferred in 2004.

The land plants are closely integrated technologically and organisationally with offshore petroleum activities, and the same regulations apply to both sea and shore.

Havtil’s annual RNNP survey measures trends in risk level in the petroleum activity. Results for personnel risk offshore and at the land plants are presented in April, with a report on the risk of acute discharges in the autumn. This work contributes to a shared understanding of risk developments across the industry. 

Milestones for safety

  • 1962: First application to the government for oil prospecting on the NCS
  • 1965: First production licences awarded, with safety requirements included in their terms
  • 1966: First exploration well spudded
  • 1969: Ekofisk field proven
  • 1971: Storting (parliament) adopts the “10 oil commandments”, ensuring national regulation and control of oil operations
  • 1972: Storting approves the creation of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD)
  • 1977: Bravo oil blowout from the Ekofisk field’s 2/4 B facility prompts a detailed review and evaluation of the safety regime
  • 1977: Working Environment Act extended to permanent facilities on the NCS
  • 1980: Alexander L Kielland disaster, with 123 fatalities. Follow-up leads to far-reaching changes in the established organisation of regulatory responsibility for HSE
  • 1985: Storting passes the Petroleum Act. NPD receives sole responsibility for regulatory development and supervision in the petroleum industry, covering both fixed and mobile facilities
  • 1992: Working Environment Act extended to mobile facilities
  • 2001: Safety Forum established 
  • 2004: NPD’s safety department hived off as the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA), which also receives regulatory authority for all land plants involved in oil and gas operations
  • 2013: PSA responsible for following up section 9-3 of the Petroleum Act on security
  • 2018: PSA responsible for carbon transport and storage
  • 2020: PSA responsible for renewable energy production offshore
  • 2022: PSA responsible for seabed mineral operations
  • 2023: PSA named sectoral supervisor for the petroleum sector under the Security Act
  • 2024: PSA renamed the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil)