Norway’s Equinor Fined $70mn For Refinery Pollution

Norway’s economic and environmental crime agency said Tuesday it has fined the Equinor energy giant more than $70 million over pollution lasting several years at one of its refineries.

The agency accused Equinor of allowing illegal discharges of oil and gas through a lack of maintenance at its Mongstad refinery, in southwest Norway, between 2016 and 2021.

In the most severe case, some 40 tonnes of gas containing highly toxic hydrogen sulfide was released, “representing a mortal danger” for workers, said chief prosecutor Maria Bache Dahl in a statement.

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Equinor was fined 220 million krone ($21 million), with another 500 million krone confiscated as the sum that the Norwegian energy firm saved through its inadequate maintenance.

Equinor said it would appeal the punishment.

“We disagree with the affirmation that the company failed in its duty to correctly maintain the installation over several decades and that the company saved money through inadequate maintenance,” said Equinor’s vice president for legal affairs, Siv Helen Rygh To

AFP