Centrica, E.ON and RWE lead Arctic rush for oil

[xchrom]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jul/04/uk-energy-companies-arctic-oil


The most controversial is the block in the Barents Sea awarded to E.ON, which the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research said should not be opened at all. Photograph: Hans Strand/ Hans Strand/Corbis

Half of the big six energy companies operating in the UK are leading a new dash into the Arctic in search of new oil and gas after gaining exploration licences in Norwegian waters. The push comes despite three of Norway's environment agencies warning that total or partial drilling bans are needed in most of the blocks.

The most controversial is the block in the Barents Sea awarded to E.ON, which the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (NIMR) said should not be opened at all, because of the risk to marine life including the largest cods stocks left in the world. RWE, known to UK energy customers as npower, and Centrica, which owns British Gas, were also awarded exploration licences. All the companies are the operating partners for the blocks, in consortia with other companies including, in Centrica's case, Russia's Lukoil.

"This is bad for the climate, the high north and environmental management regimes," said Frederic Hauge, leader of green NGO Bellona.

Ben Ayliffe Greenpeace's Arctic campaigner said: "Not content with sucking their customers dry, half of the big six energy suppliers have now turned their attention to the Arctic. Customers of these companies probably didn't realise that their rocketing bills would pay for fossil fuel exploration in a vulnerable region of breathtaking beauty, and shareholders may be concerned to learn they're on the hook for potentially astronomical clean-up bills when the inevitable spills occur.

[joshcryer]

1. This is why a sea ice free, warmer, arctic, is appealing to profiteers.

They really don't want anything done about sea ice or the warming climate (which impacts the arctic / antarctic the most). They want to be able to more easily get at the resources up there.