The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has been renamed the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, as its scope broadens beyond hydrocarbons.
The name change became official on January 1.
The agency said its primary objective was to “contribute to the greatest possible values for society from the oil and gas activities”.
Changing from the NPD highlights the agency’s additional responsibilities over recent years, it said. These include carbon capture and storage (CCS), offshore wind and seabed minerals.
Email addresses have already changed but the other domains will shift gradually.
Ola Anders Skauby, director of communication, said the directorate had a “long, proud history as a resource authority with solid knowledge about the subsurface on the Norwegian shelf”.
The agency “shall be the preferred source of facts about the Norwegian shelf”, it said.
Norway established the NPD in 1972. It employs around 200 people, with offices in Stavanger and Harstad.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE) charged the NPD with carrying out surveys for offshore wind in May 2022. The directorate said in November 2023 that it had prepared the first data sets for the Norwegian shelf.
Norway aims to produce 30 GW of power from offshore wind by 2040.
Ministerial movement
The rebranding follows with a streamlining of processes in Norway’s energy sector. In October, as part of the rebrand, The Petroleum and Energy Ministry was announced as becoming the Energy Ministry.
From 1 January, Terje Aasland will take the new title of Energy Minister, the government said Monday, adding that the role of the ministry remains unchanged.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, in his New Year’s address, said “climate action must outstrip climate change. This is our responsibility. This is our best chance.”
The prime minister said Norway aimed to develop floating offshore wind turbines. “This green transition is well under way, and efforts are accelerating. We must reach our climate targets. Making use of all our expertise, all our resources and potential, we will do our part to increase the pace of climate action – here in Norway and throughout the world.”
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