This responsibility rested previously with Marte Mjøs Persen, the minister of labour and social inclusion. The government’s aim is to reinforce a good and integrated management of health, safety and the environment (HSE) as well as security and emergency preparedness on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).
“By shifting responsibility for the PSA to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, we are unifying preventive safety and security work for the petroleum sector,” says prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
“We will thereby achieve a stronger, clearer and more integrated petroleum administration. Today’s security policy position shows with full clarity that such a collective approach is needed to protect national security interests in this sector.”
The PSA is a supervisory and administrative agency with responsibility for safety, the working environment, emergency response and security in the petroleum industry.
Transferring responsibility for it to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy is in line with the main principle of Norwegian public administration, whereby one ministry and a single minister have constitutional responsibility for the overall sector. This move does not involve any change to the PSA’s area of responsibility.
“The government places great emphasis on maintaining the good HSE work done in this sector in collaboration with employees,” says Støre.
“As part of the change we’re now making, we are proposing to increase resources for these efforts in the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy by NOK 3.5 million in our revised budget.”
“Norway’s petroleum industry will remain a world leader for HSE,” says Aasland. “At the same time, Norwegian fields will continue to contribute reliable and long-term oil and gas deliveries to Europe and the world.
“Together with the industry and everyone employed in it, I will continue to work to achieve this. Preventive security work is an important and integrated part of that.”
The aim is for the associated change in the ministry structure, with the transfer of relevant budget chapters, from the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy to be implemented with effect from 1 July 2023.
Recognition
“The reason given for transferring us to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy reflects a recognition of the commitment we’ve made to security work over many years, and particularly since Russia invaded Ukraine,” says Anne Myhrvold, director general of the PSA.
She emphasises that the PSA will continue to work along the same lines as before.
“We’ll maintain our efforts to strengthen safety, the working environment, emergency preparedness and security in the industry – now with support from a new parent ministry. All our powers and areas of responsibility remain unchanged.”