The second stage of the Kolskaya wind power plant was launched by the Russian oil company LUKOIL.  The Kolskaya is world’s most powerful wind farm beyond the Arctic Circle. The first 170 MW stage of the wind farm was commissioned on December 1, 2022. Following the launch of the second stage, the plant’s capacity reached 201 MW. 

And I have today some news about hydrogen economy. Greenland and Norway want to produce green ammonia. The Greenlandic company Anori is planning to build a wind park in Greenland together with the Norwegian company H2Carrier. Today, ammonia production mainly operates using natural gas, but the companies want a greener and more environmentally friendly production. Less than one percent of the world’s ammonia production is green. A total of 200 wind turbines are planned to be established. The ammonia will be used as fuel for cargo ships and for the production of artificial fertilizer in Europe, among other things.

Norway calls for more Arctic drilling. Norway’s energy minister Terje Aasland called on oil and gas companies to fulfill their “social responsibility” and “leave no stone unturned” in their quest to drill the Arctic areas of the Barents Sea, brushing aside concerns of environmentalists. 

The Barents Sea estimated to hold most of Norway’s undiscovered oil and gas resources. “The petroleum adventure in the north has only just started,” Aasland said, adding that the government would help the Barents Sea industry as Norway must develop, not liquidate, its petroleum industry. Apart from being in a harsher environment so far north, the Barents Sea poses another roadblock to developing oil and gas resources—the north lacks the infrastructure in the more developed areas on the shelf that would make tie-ups and resource development easier. In January Norway offered 92 blocks, record number of Arctic oil, gas exploration blocks in Barents, and Norwegian Seas.

And I have some news about Alaska LNG project. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission lawfully authorized a liquefied natural gas project in Alaska, the D.C. Circuit ruled denying environmental groups’ petition to review the decision. The controversial $38.7 billion LNG project would build facilities to uptake gas and ready it for transportation through an 807-mile pipeline bisecting Alaska—exporting substantial volumes of natural gas for at least 30 years. The Biden administration approved the project April 13, despite objections from environmental groups who claim that the project could emit 50 millions tons of carbon dioxide pollution annually. The Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club sought review, alleging that FERC’s approval of the project and its associated environmental impact statement violated the National Environmental Policy Act.