1. 12. 2023

This episode of The IR thinker explores Norway’s energy security and geopolitics with Professor Ole Gunnar Austvik, tracing the evolution of Norwegian oil exports, the role of private companies and diversification strategies, and the impact of the war in Ukraine on gas supplies to the European Union. The discussion also addresses LNG expansion, pipeline infrastructure, electricity and hydrogen exports, Nordic energy cooperation, the Arctic as a new energy frontier and the future of nuclear power in Norway.

Ole Gunnar Austvik

Ole Gunnar Austvik is a Norwegian economist and political scientist specialising in political economy, oil and gas policy and European integration. He is Professor of Political Economy and Petroleum Economics at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, a Senior Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and has previously worked with the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, BI Norwegian Business School and Statistics Norway.

Publications:

Norway: Small State in the Great European Energy Game

EU-Russian Gas Trade and the Shortcomings of International Law

Turkey in the geopolitics of energy

Content

00:00 - Introduction
02:32 - Evolution of Norway’s Oil Exports
08:21 - Role of Private Companies in the Norwegian Oil Market
09:53 - Diversifying Norway’s Oil Export Strategy
12:34 - Investment Trends in the Norwegian Oil Sector
14:50 - Ethical Considerations in Norway’s Oil Export Industry
18:50 - Impact of the Ukraine War on Norway’s Gas Exports to the EU
22:57 - Domestic Political Dynamics and Norway’s Gas Exports
26:48 - State of the Norwegian Natural Gas Pipeline Infrastructure
29:12 - Public Opinion on LNG Expansion in Norway
30:59 - Balancing Norwegian Reserves with EU Export Demands
33:04 - Norway’s National Energy Strategy
36:55 - Norway’s Electricity Export
40:19 - Hydrogen Export
45:10 - The Arctic: Norway’s New Energy Frontier
48:53 - Exploring New Energy Reserves Outside of Norway
51:11 - Energy Collaboration Among Nordic Countries
56:16 - The State of Nuclear Energy in Norway
59:21 - Future Directions in Norway’s Energy Policy