Friday, September 11, 2026
Economics

Lexus number one in customer satisfaction in Sweden and Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

11255403_959666604078720_7128807082328332279_oLexus is by far the car brand which the Swedish and Norwegian car owners are most satisfied with. It is the fifth year that Lexus is included in the AutoIndex surveys and the fifth time that Lexus tops the list – in both countries.

In Sweden, Lexus achieved a score of 895 points out of 1,000, which is 18 points ahead of the runner-up brand. The industry average score was 818 points. The result of this year’s Auto Index survey is consistent with the completely unmoderated reviews that Lexus owners leave on the Lexus Sweden website (http://www.lexus.se/). By letting its customers freely post their opinions on its own channel, Lexus Sweden aims to stimulate dialogue between customers and to provide better information for potential buyers.

In Norway, Lexus gets the highest score overall and in all categories. Commenting on this result, Knut-Erik Jahnsen, head of Lexus Norway, said: ‘It’s wonderful to receive this award for the 5th consecutive year on behalf of all the skilled Lexus colleagues at the dealerships – they made this possible! We are particularly pleased to see Lexus’ score increase further in the areas of sales and workshop service, where the people in the Norwegian Lexus organization have the greatest impact.’

More than 18,000 randomly selected Swedish car owners and 13,000 Norwegian car owners participated in the AutoIndex 2016 surveys, performed in the first quarter of 2016, to evaluate their satisfaction about quality, driving dynamics and comfort of their car as well as about dealers, after sales service and their brand loyalty. AutoIndex 2016 covers vehicles registered in the period 2009-2015.

(Automotive World)

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Oil & Gas

Gassco: New German terminal for Norwegian gas

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

GasscoA new facility in Germany for receiving gas exports from Norway was officially inaugurated in Emden on 24 May 2016.
A new facility in Germany for receiving gas exports from Norway was officially inaugurated in Emden today. The inauguration ceremony was performed by Elisabeth Aspaker, Norway’s minister for EEA and EU affairs, with representatives of the German federal and Lower Saxony state governments.

“This is an important milestone in a very good and long-term energy collaboration between Norway and Germany,” says Frode Leversund, CEO of Gassco.

“The new terminal ensures gas supplies to Germany for many decades to come and strengthens Norway’s role as a key energy supplier to the European market.” This facility replaces the existing Norsea Gas Terminal (NGT), which became operational in 1977 in connection with the development of Norway’s Ekofisk field.

It receives a substantial proportion of the Norwegian gas delivered to Germany through the Norpipe pipeline. “Construction of the new Emden terminal has been one of the most important assignments we at Gassco have ever undertaken as operator,” observes Leversund. “I’m therefore very proud that the construction work has been completed within the agreed schedule and at a lower cost than originally estimated.”

The Gassled joint venture took the investment decision in the autumn of 2012. The new terminal has been constructed on an unused part of the existing terminal site. Physical work began in the autumn of 2013 after the contract to build the facility had been awarded to Linde Engineering Dresden GmbH.

While the project has not increased export capacity for Norwegian gas, the new terminal’s functionality will be well tailored to meet future demand for processing gas from the Ekofisk area and other parts of the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

Facts
— The project has been completed within the schedule and well below budget.
— About 2 000 tonnes of steel, 1 700 metres of large-diameter piping, 250 000 metres of instrument cables, 330 000 metres of electrical cables and 10 000 tonnes of concrete have been installed on the site. In addition, 1 710 concrete piles have been driven in to stabilise the ground. The new terminal covers about 1.2 hectares (12 000 square metres).
— The terminal has a daily capacity of 34.1 million standard cubic metres (scm).
— No less than 1.2 million hours were worked at the construction site, involving personnel from 20 different nations.
— An overarching objective for Gassco has been to implement the project without injury to people or harm to the environment. The main challenge has been to develop a common health, safety and environmental (HSE) culture across all the companies involved. Viewed overall, the HSE results are good.

Source: GASSCO

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Economics

JDO Extends Norwegian Iced Tea Range

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

TB_500ml_leaf_scene_v5-1-smallThe initial launch comprised two flavours, peach and lemon with a black tea base. The new addition to the range is a citrus green tea variant.

Imsdal is Norway’s leading bottled still water brand. Launched in 1994, it extended its water portfolio in 2007 to include Imsdal Aktiv, a sports water, which has the same active ingredients as the market leading sports drinks but is a healthy alternative that has no artificial additives.

With the rise in popularity of iced tea in Norway, Ringnes saw an opportunity to extend the Imsdal range further and to bring the Imsdal brand to a new, younger audience. Imsdal is synonymous with naturalness and purity and has a strong Norwegian identity. A growing health trend in Norway has prompted consumers to look for iced tea products that are more natural and don’t use as much sugar or artificial sweeteners as most popular brands. Building on this trend, Ringnes identified Imsdal as the perfect brand to bring a healthy iced tea drink to market in Norway without any compromise on taste. Post the launch in 2015, Imsdal Iste has stolen significant market share from competitors such as TINE and Nestea.

JDO was briefed to keep the original Imsdal Iste identity at the core of the new variant design and to develop a different label communicating the refreshing citrus taste of the additional flavour variant. The colour palette needed to be differentiated from the current black tea designs to avoid confusion but also to sit comfortably within the existing range.

The resulting design retains the strong characteristics of simplicity, purity and honesty that have become the guiding principles of the core Imsdal brand. The Iste graphic icon illustrating the fusion of two droplets remains, this time representing the authentic green tea base and natural fruit flavours in new lighter colourways enhanced by the hue of the liquid. The contemporary icon is both memorable and has great stand out on shelf and adaptability off pack.

Paul Drake, JDO co-founder and creative director said, “We’ve tried to give the new design it’s own personality whilst staying true to the core Imsdal Iste master brand. While our focus has been the citrus variant, we’ve been mindful that the new green tea sub range should be flexible enough to allow for potential new flavour variants in the future.”

Karine Blystad, brand manager at Ringnes, added “JDO has created a design with a perfect combination of existing core Imsdal Iste brand equities and new and unique green tea and citrus flavour cues. This new design is intuitive and communicates the brand proposition and flavour variant clearly. A refreshing citrus green tea that provides pure enjoyment and a healthier option for consumers.”

The new citrus flavoured green tea packs are now being rolled out across Norway.

(jdouk)

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Politics

Can the Nordic Countries Capitalize on Their Strategic Position in Europe?

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

l_nordic_leaders_05242016_1Earlier this month, the leaders of Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland were in Washington to attend a summit at the White House. Together with President Barack Obama, the five Nordic leaders discussed tensions with Russia, security, climate change and trade. Obama didn’t hesitate to heap praise on the Nordics. “So I really do believe that the world would be more secure and more prosperous if we just had more partners like the Nordic countries,” he said. “They consistently punch above their weight.”

Obama speaking so highly of the Nordic countries is nothing new. He has lauded them for years, and as he told an interviewer, “if only everyone could be like the Scandinavians, this would all be easy.”

But can the Nordic countries translate all this into lasting influence in their own neighborhood? With the exception of Iceland, which is neither a member of the European Union or NATO, these countries have increasingly found themselves at the center of several important security and political debates in Europe today, especially the refugee crisis and growing tensions with Russia.

The Nordics are on the front lines of Russian aggression: Russian fighter jets have illegally entered Swedish and Finnish airspace on numerous occasions, and Finland shares an 800-mile border with Russia. NATO has responded to Russia’s behavior by building up its eastern flank and holding military exercises in the region. While Norway and Denmark are NATO members, Sweden and Finland are not, though they have developed close ties to the organization, participating in joint exercises and sharing intelligence. Sweden and Finland’s foreign ministers even attended the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels last Friday.

But despite this increased cooperation, both Sweden and Finland have ruled out NATO membership, at least for now. “The changing security environment really has both Finnish and Swedish leaders worried. At the same time, there is a dawning realization that joining NATO may not be so easy at the moment, as it may draw pressure from Russia,” explains Magnus Nordenman, the deputy director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council, in an email interview.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a Swedish newspaper last month that if Sweden were to join NATO, Russia would “be forced to take the relevant technical, military measures in our northern territories.” Around the same time, the Finnish government released a report that said potential NATO membership would spark a serious crisis between Russia and NATO.

Beyond NATO, the Nordic states have recognized the importance of boosting their own security and political ties. Bilateral cooperation has steadily grown in recent years, though it is still “characterized by ‘cobweb integration,’” according to Anders Wivel, a professor at the University of Copenhagen. Public and private firms have only focused their efforts on what he calls “low politics.”
The Nordics have used their position at the center of growing Russian aggression and the refugee crisis to try and set the international agenda.

But according to Nordenman, “regional cooperation remains hard,” since defense priorities vary across the region. That hasn’t prevented Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden from trying to boost military and defense ties through their own partnership, the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO).

Even if regional cooperation isn’t that robust, the Nordic countries “have made an effort to share information across many issue areas,” says Wivel. This is especially true on the European level, where greater political and security cooperation and information-sharing can enhance their status in negotiations with NATO and the EU.

To that end, the Nordics have used their position at the center of growing Russian aggression and the refugee crisis to try and set the international agenda. “You can see that specifically with Norway within NATO and Sweden within the European Union,” says Nordenman. For example, Norway is pushing for NATO’s upcoming summit in Warsaw this summer to focus on maritime defense.

On the EU level, Sweden, Finland and Denmark have found themselves playing key roles in the debate on the refugee crisis. In large part because of their status as generous welfare states, the Nordic countries have been some of the most popular destinations for refugees and asylum-seekers fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Sweden received 163,00 asylum applications last year; Finland 32,000; and Norway, which is not an EU member, 31,000.

But even if the Nordic countries have been successful at setting these agendas, Wivel contends that “their influence has not increased in recent years.” Sweden, Finland and Denmark have always had a certain level of influence; the refugee crisis has just brought it to the fore. And now that influence, he says, is actually waning as all three countries have implemented stricter refugee policies and are debating deporting asylum-seekers whose requests have been denied.

Of course, the Nordic countries remain important to NATO. But as Russian incursions into Swedish and Finnish airspace have declined since 2015, only to be replaced by Russia warplanes buzzing U.S. Navy vessels in the Baltic Sea, the outsize importance of the U.S. to the alliance has taken center stage once again, overshadowing the Nordics. Moreover, the fact that Norway has not joined the EU and that Finland and Sweden remain out of NATO make finding and promoting common positions on Russia even harder.

The Nordic countries’ roles in NATO and the EU will continue to evolve, even if familiar barriers prevent them from assuming more formal influence. Either way, as the summit in Washington showed, they are also key partners of the United States, and have a major fan in the White House.

(Maria Savel is an associate editor at World Politics Review)

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Norwegian Aid

NOK 400 million for education in Syria and its neighbouring countries

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan
Providing education for Syrian children is one of the most important forms of aid Norway can give. Photo: Truls Brekke, Unicef

Providing education for Syrian children is one of the most important forms of aid Norway can give. Photo: Truls Brekke, Unicef

‘Norway is entering into a multi-year cooperation agreement with Unicef, and will provide up to NOK 400 million for education in Syria and its neighbouring countries. This is a follow-up to the donor conference for Syria earlier this year. It will give Unicef greater predictability in its efforts to help children and young people,’ said Minister of Foreign affairs Børge Brende.

During the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul today, Foreign Minister Børge Brende and Unicef Executive Director Anthony Lake will sign a letter of intent on cooperation on education for children and young people affected by the Syrian crisis.

‘There are 2.8 million Syrian children and young people who do not have access to education within Syria and its neighbouring countries. Many have missed out on all their primary education. This will have long-term negative consequences. Providing education for these children is one of the most important forms of aid Norway can give,’ said Mr Brende.

Norway intends to allocate NOK 400 million for education in Syria and its neighbouring countries Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq for the period 2016–2018. This funding will be channelled through Unicef. It is planned that NOK 200 million of the total amount will be provided this year.

Unicef is an important partner for Norway and is a key player in the efforts to achieve the SDG education targets in Syria and the region. The UN agency works closely with the authorities in neighbouring countries and other local partners to provide schooling for Syrian refugee children and other vulnerable children. It is also implementing important education initiatives within Syria, where some two million children currently do not have access to education.

‘Norway gives high priority to education and protection of children in crises and conflicts. Too little money is being provided for humanitarian crises such as the Syrian crisis, and the funding that is provided is often unpredictable. This is a major challenge. Norway takes a long-term approach in its cooperation with its partners. We recently signed an equivalent letter of intent with the UN Refugee Agency to support its efforts in the Syrian crisis,’ said Mr Brende.

Norway co-hosted the donor conference for Syria that was held in London in February, and has taken on particular responsibility for the field of education. The conference resulted in a record level amount of money being pledged to Syria and its neighbouring countries. Norway committed itself to providing around NOK 10 billion for the Syrian crisis over a four-year period. Norway’s allocation this year is NOK 2.4 billion, 15 % of which is earmarked for education.

(Press release)

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Science

Watch: Norway’s hosting a 30-hour reading of the legalese your favorite apps use to control you

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

ccon-logoIf you need help getting to sleep, this live video stream might do the trick. The Norwegian Consumer Council, a government-funded rights group, has organized an event to read aloud the terms and conditions governing the use of 33 of Norway’s most popular apps. All that legalese amounts to over 250,000 words. It will take about 30 hours.
The reading, held in English and Norwegian at the council’s office in Oslo, started at 9am CET, and it was in its third hour at the time of writing. Some 40 people form the relay team for the reading, including politicians, government officials, students, and digital rights experts. “Different reading tempos” might prolong the ordeal beyond the estimated 30 hours, says Finn Myrstad, who heads the council’s digital services section.

The absurdity of the event showcases the outsized burdens consumers bear when trying to understand their digital rights. Reams of opaque terms and conditions placed by app makers make it difficult for users to understand exactly what they’re agreeing to when they fire up an app. “When you actually sit down and read these terms, you realize how ridiculous they are,” says Myrstad.

Myrstad and his team of four have won consumer rights battles against global tech giants. The council lodged a complaint with the Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman in 2014 about Apple’s iCloud storage service, which it said didn’t notify users about changes to the terms of use. Several months later, Apple published a new set of terms that included language about notifying users if changes were made to the terms. It has also lodged complaints against Tinder and Runkeeper around how those apps deal with customer data, prompting quick responses from management.

What does the consumer council have planned when the reading draws to an end? “Just thank you and good night,” Myrstad says, before adding: “We’re not looking forward to the iTunes terms. It’s about 50 pages, so it will take quite a few hours.”

(qZ)

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Asia and Norway

Indian, Norwegian researchers to urge UGC on interdisciplinary energy education

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

1448364707752Experts working under an Indo-Norwegian collaborative programme said on Tuesday that they will approach India’s University Grants Commission to take a “serious look” into launching interdisciplinary sustainable energy education in the country.

Experts from Jadavpur University and the University of Stavanger, Norway, under the Indo-Norwegian Cooperation Program (INCP), on Tuesday participated in a discussion on ‘Sustainable Energy: General Basics and Advanced Interdisciplinary Learning’ to distill out the requirements of a comprehensive and collaborative energy education initiative.

“Our objective is to submit a document of the discussion to the UGC highlighting the requirement of comprehensive education in sustainable energy,” Sudipta De, professor, department of mechanical engineering and core committee member of Global Change Programme (GCP), Jadavpur University, told IANS.

The discussion was organised by the GCP and Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Mohsen Assadi, faculty of Science and Technology University of Stavanger, said the current educational collaboration is about the decarbonisation roadmap of India, and the programme is sponsored by UGC and the Research Council of Norway (RCN).

“… and we are looking at a multidisciplinary approach including people from fields of political science, social sciences and all engineering and scientific backgrounds, in the future. We are looking forward to student exchanges, lectures by Norwegian researchers in India and lectures by Indian experts in Norway,” Assadi told IANS.

He said there would be a meeting in New Delhi between Indian and Norwegian researchers in June to evaluate the projects and the programme.

“We have been asked to join via Skype and present the planned activities such as a proposed interdisciplinary energy education initiative between Jadavpur University and our varsity,” said Assadi, also the managing director of Center for Sustainable Energy Solutions (cenSE), Norway .

–IANS

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Defence

US Sees Potential for Future Norwegian Defense Cooperation

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

635996885853002271-26511859233-6405ac290c-kThe US will look toward more industrial cooperation with Norwegian defense firms in the future, according to the Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work, speaking at the May 19 NADIC Norwegian-American Defense Conference in Washington, said international cooperation on defense programs will likely continue as the two nations come to strengthen ties between each other’s industrial bases.

“I hope to expand our cooperation in a wide variety of programs,” Work said. “We’ve had a long collaboration in [anti-submarine warfare] for example, and our P-3 communities are very, very close, our submarine communities are very, very close. I would expect that to occur in the future.”

Øystein Bø, Norway’s deputy defense minister, praised the ability of his nation to work with the Pentagon, comparing it to the challenge that Norwegian firms have found closer to home.

“What we have been saying to our European friends is we believe we have a small but very capable industry which can deliver the right tech and very high end, and it’s actually proven easier to get into the US market than to get into the big countries in the European market,” he said.

Both men highlighted the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Naval Strike Missile, which Work called “an extraordinarily capably missile, developed by the Norwegians, which the Navy is taking an extremely hard look at.”

Work also seemed to encourage his counterpart to invest in the type of artificial intelligence capabilities that will be part of the Pentagon’s “Third Offset” strategy. That strategy, championed by Work, is focused on developing automation to help support the war fighter.

“This is really about partnerships, from my perspective,” Work said, including “our partnerships with our defense industrial bases to pursue innovative innovations like the Third Offset Strategy, and our growing partnership with the commercial industry.”

But after the two men finished speaking, a panel of US acquisition experts outlined the challenges facing any foreign nation who wants to work with the US on defense programs, whether as joint producers of technology or simply as commercial suppliers.

All the panelists agreed that the Pentagon needs to be more open to buying from and working with the industrial base of partner nations, with William Greenwalt, a professional staff member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, calling international collaboration “absolutely necessary.”

“Our allies have essentially the same problem we’re facing — declining or limited defense resources and rising threats, and access to a globalized commercial technological base that is driving technology. Why wouldn’t we want to go and see and take advantage of someone else who solved [a problem]?,” Greenwalt asked. “Whoever has the best ideas, whether it’s commercial, international or our global partners, whomever it is, we should be bringing that in.”

The first issue facing global firms is protectionist policies from the US, including a propensity by Congress to close off competition from non-US firms, said Mackeznie Eaglen of the American Enterprise Institute. She pointed to a recent example where members of the House pushed through an amendment that would force shoes for new recruits to be produced in the US.

Ben FitzGerald, a former owner of an Australian company that worked with the Pentagon and is now part of the Center for a New American Security, said Pentagon bureaucracy creates another hurdle.

“If you’re coming from abroad, you also think, ‘They just don’t like us,’ ” he said. “It’s an equal-opportunity hate organization [among other countries]. It’s just hard to do business with the [Defense] Department.”

And, FitzGerald warned, the institutional patterns may hold into the future.

“My concern is we’re already at the point where we need to be collaborating that way, but we have enough inertia that we don’t feel we need to,” he said.

(defensenews)

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Economics

Norsk Hydro welcomes new IR head

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

nhy_alu_MainDeparting IRO Pål Kildemo promoted to head of finance for primary metals division.

Finance executive Stian Hasle has been promoted to lead the IR team at Norsk Hydro.

Hasle has been with the Norwegian firm since graduating from SKEMA Business School and the University of Westminster in 2005, starting as a finance trainee and later joining the IR team for five years. Since 2012, he has been serving as a senior analyst in primary metal portfolio development.

Head of IR of two years Pål Kildemo is moving on to serve as head of finance for the primary metal division at the Oslo-headquartered firm. A former energy trader, Kildemo is also chairman of Nirf, the Norwegian IR association.

Norsk Hydro, which focuses on aluminum and hydropower production since its oil and gas business was merged with Statoil in 2007, is 44 percent owned by the Norwegian state with a further 6 percent held by the government’s pension fund.

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Economics

Shannon supports US Norwegian deal

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

GN4_DAT_6886437.jpg--shannon_supports_us_norwegian_dealSHANNON Airport is well positioned to tap into any potential deal for a new carrier to fly to the United States, if the way is cleared by US authorites for Norwegian Air International to fly across the Atlantic.

Industry sources have indicated that Norwegian will likely use Ireland as a major hub for flights to North America from Europe, if it gets approval from the US Department of Transportation.

Norwegian’s attempts to get the green light to operate low cost flights to the US have become an issue in the Presidential campaign, with Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders recently voicing his opposition to the deal. Shannon has lodged a submission in support of the carrier’s attempts to win a permit to operate services between Ireland and the US.

Most of the major carriers into the US were against the Norwegian bid, including American, US Airways and Delta, and industry experts believe the deal will “level the playing field” for low cost operators looking at the transatlantic market.

Preliminary approval for permits for Norwegian has been granted, which Shannon has said would mean “having a new carrier on its runway”, as a result of discussions that are ongoing since 2014.

It is understood that a service between Boston and Shannon would be the first route if the deal gets the go ahead. Industry sources have suggested that there is a “big appetite” among Irish authorities for the deal to go ahead, with Ireland to become an “anchor point” for the States, offering a hub opportunity both for Norwegian and other carriers.

Shannon has formally stated its support for Norwegian’s bid in its submission, which has also been backed by the Irish Aviation Authority in a separate submission to the US transport department. Mary Considine, acting CEO of Shannon Group, said that the launch of these services would be a “boost for tourism and business”.

“We welcome the planned NAI services and the benefits to visitors and to businesses which they will bring,” Ms Considine said in the submission.

“We have been in discussion with Norwegian since 2014 and we are happy to have been able to demonstrate the strong and growing demand for travel between Ireland and the US and to have convinced the airline to launch Shannon-US service subject to regulatory approval.

“We welcome NAI’s plans to develop transatlantic service from Shannon to complement our existing and valued range of flights, and we are confident that NAI’s initial and subsequent routes will grow the overall market and develop more transatlantic trade and tourism.”

Meanwhile, Shannon this week announced details of a new programme to support airport users with autism and special needs and their families.

Launched by Marty Morrissey, the initiative includes a new instructional video and brochure – hosted on www.shannonairport.ie – for people with autism and special needs to help them to understand the process of getting through the airport.

(limerickleader)

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Diplomatic relations

Slovenia opens consulate in Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

206a8fe3e96f434c87773dafb57747c6_400x400Slovenia has opened a consulate in Oslo which is to be led by honorary consul Knut Ore.

The opening ceremony on Tuesday was attended by several distinguished guests, among them Foreign Ministry State Secretary Darja Bavdaž Kuret, her counterpart Tore Hattrem and Slovenian Ambassador to Norway Tone Kajzer, the Foreign Ministry said.

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Farming

HSMI evidence detected in farmed salmon

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

51471_345x275_72_DPI_0A team of international researchers has diagnosed a potential heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI) in farmed Atlantic salmon samples collected from a BC aquaculture facility in 2013-2014.

This research, led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) Dr. Kristi Miller, was undertaken as part of the Strategic Salmon Health Initiative (SSHI), a collaboration between DFO, the Pacific Salmon Foundation and Genome British Columbia to better understand the distribution of microbes and diseases in wild and cultured (hatchery and aquaculture) salmon in BC.

Dr. Miller pointed out that pathologists found lesions on salmon on one farm in Johnstone Strait indicating they had heart and skeletal muscle inflammation.

“These lesions were present for an extended period of time, at least eight months, on this farm,” Miller said.

The disease has been found in several countries, including Norway in the late 1990s, where it has been linked to low levels of mortality, with some farms showing no salmon deaths, while up to 20 per cent of fish die in others.

Dr. Miller explained that the piscine reo-virus has been associated with all outbreaks of heart and skeletal muscle inflammation, as it was on the single BC farm, but it’s not known if it causes the disease, adding scientists around the world are investigating how the virus could be linked to the disease.

Miller stressed that the fact that many fish can carry the virus without having the disease has been one of the difficulties in understanding the role of this virus in HSMI development and added that the virus likely originated in the marine environment.

“We know that this virus, in other parts of the world, can be observed in fresh-water origin fish and we believe we know that here in BC in Atlantic salmon. But in Norway, while the virus can be observed in fish in hatcheries the prevalence of the virus can become much, much higher in the marine environment,” the scientist highlighted in statements expressed to the Canadian Press.

Heart and skeletal muscle inflammation in fish does not impact human health, and the disease has never been found in wild Pacific salmon.

“But DFO will continue to monitor the health of wild and farmed salmon in Canada and to track and collaborate with international research teams to more fully establish the risk factors associated with this disease,” Miller said.

The research using new technology and international scientists was done between 2013 and 2015 on four Vancouver Island fish farms using more than 2,400 live and dying salmon.

For his part, Brian Riddell, president of the Pacific Salmon Foundation, which participated in the research along with Genome British Columbia, said the latest technology will allow scientists to analyze 45 microbes for the first time, leading to “revolutionary” diagnostics in wild populations.

“We are currently in the second phase of the analyses and we really just started this so I really have to emphasize the real concern that many people have in BC about the risk of wild salmon. We cannot comment on that yet,” Riddell said, adding more findings will be revealed in the next two years.

“Government and industry should expedite the science, provide necessary funding and work collaboratively for the sake of the aquaculture industry and for wild salmon,” the BC Salmon Farmers Association said in a news release.

HSMI first emerged in Norwegian fish farms around 1999 and ten years later, it expanded geographically and accounted for 150 costly disease outbreaks a year with significant mortality on fish farms. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority made HSMI a reportable disease in 2008. It is not yet a reportable disease in Canada.

Meanwhile, the 2015 annual report of Marine Harvest, one of the world’s largest seafood companies, rates HSMI as the number three cause of mortality in its fish farms, which operate in Norway, Chile, Scotland, Ireland and British Columbia.

Although the DFO scientists noted that “any role of PRV in the development of HSMI remains unclear,” Norwegian pathologists and veterinarians commonly describe it as the central virus associated with significant and serious HSMI disease in Norway’s fish farms.
(fis)

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Environment

Norway hydrogen infrastructure set to grow by 2020 following Uno-X and Praxair deal

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

1020629_Uno-X-hydrogen-station-croppedThe hydrogen (H2) fuelling infrastructure continues to grow in Norway after Uno-X Hydrogen AS and a Norwegian affiliate of Praxair signed a strategic alliance to install a further 20 stations throughout the Scandinavian country.

Uno-X and the affiliate, which gasworld believes to be Yara Praxair Holding AS, aim to install the new stations in the main cities of Norway, including Oslo and Bergen along with other corresponding linking locations. The 20 stations will be rolled out by 2020.

Under the agreement, Praxair’s affiliate will hold 20% of Uno-X Hydrogen, with fellow joint venture companies Uno-X Gruppen and NEL ASA holding the other 41% and 39%, respectively.

Jon André Løkke, CEO of NEL, highlighted, “We are proud to announce Praxair as a member of our strategic alliance and investor for the development of a nationwide H2 station network in Norway. Praxair is a global H2 supplier and we see the Norwegian rollout as a global showcase for the future development of H2 networks in other key countries, like the US, Germany and Japan.”

Yara Praxair Holding AS was primarily and partly acquired by the US-based industrial gas corporation back in 2007, but Praxair announced intent to buy the last-remaining 34% stake in the Yara Praxair Holding AS joint venture for €300m ($338m) in September 2015.

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Norwegian Aid

NOK 100 million to new fund for education in emergencies

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

world-humanitarian-summit-begins-in-istanbul-1463983248-1110A new fund for education in emergencies, Education Cannot Wait, will be launched at the world Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul today. ‘The aim is to increase access to education for children and young people in emergencies. This is important not only for the individuals concerned, but also for the future of the countries they are living in. Norway is providing up to NOK 100 million for the first year,’ said Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende.

Norway has played an active role in the development of the fund, and Mr Brende will take part in the launch. Today, 75 million children and young people are unable to complete normal schooling due to conflicts and protracted crises. Of them, 37 million children and youth are unable to attend school at all, and girls are particularly badly affected. Despite these facts, only 2 % of global humanitarian aid goes to education.

‘Access to education is a fundamental right, but still too little is being done to ensure access to education for children and young people in countries affected by crisis and conflict. An important aim of this initiative is to mobilise political will and increase economic support for education. We want to ensure that all children and young people can go to school, not least in situations where the society around them is falling apart. The goal is that all children and young people in countries affected by crisis should be able to go to school by 2030,’ said Mr Brende.
International support for education in crises often comes too late, and is too fragmented and too unpredictable.

‘In order to fulfil the ambitious but crucial functions of the fund, efforts must be better coordinated between the authorities in the countries in question, the donor countries and the organisations we are supporting. We need more long-term financing, and we must improve our ability to produce concrete results on the ground to ensure that children can enjoy greater security and predictability, as well as good learning outcomes. Norway is seeking to engage more donors from all parts of the world. The aim is to mobilise USD 150 million during the first year,’ said Mr Brende.

The most important actors in the field of education in crisis will be engaged in the work of the fund, including Unicef, key civil society organisations, and donor countries such as Norway, the UK and the US. Education in situations of crisis and conflict is a high priority in the Government’s increased focus on global education and humanitarian efforts. Both last year and the year before, more than 8 % of Norway’s humanitarian aid was allocated to education. The new fund has been developed as a follow-up of last year’s Summit on Education for Development in Oslo.

(Press release)

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Politics

Duda discusses bilateral relations on Norway visit

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

8805b06d-9022-4343-970f-af41928e4f7f.filePolish President Andrzej Duda discussed strengthening relations in the energy sector with Norway during a visit to the country.

“We discussed two main topics, one was economic cooperation in the field of energy, and the second concerned the upcoming NATO Summit [in Warsaw in July 2016], as well as security issues in Europe and the world.

We were basically in agreement on both these issues, particularly that we need to have a consistent position to intensify energy cooperation,” president Andrzej Duda said on Monday during a joint press conference with the Norwegian PM.

The key goal of Duda’s visit is to underscore the importance of Poland’s relations with Scandinavia, Presidential aide Krzysztof Szczerski told the PAP news agency ahead of the trip.

“We want Scandinavian countries to be a key partner for Poland, after Central and Eastern Europe,” Szczerski said. Northern Europe is a region, which “has been somewhat marginalised by Warsaw for many years” and one which “Poland is now looking to establish strategic ties with,” he added.

(rg)

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Religion

Norwegian Boys’ Choir attracts 850 guests to church concert

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

11383254171463989170“If it doesn’t give you goose bumps, you need help. Seriously,” said Karl Johnny Hersvik, CEO of Det Norske Oljeselskap ASA (The Norwegian Company), before 60 Norwegian boys began their performance of their first public concert in Asia.

“If it doesn’t give you goose bumps, you need help. Seriously,” said Karl Johnny Hersvik, CEO of Det Norske Oljeselskap ASA (The Norwegian Company), before 60 Norwegian boys began their performance of their first public concert in Asia.Looking around the fully seated church guests, it was indeed difficult not to spot a person not being moved by the concert.”It was simply outstanding,” says Sylvi Listhaug, Minister of Migration and Integration in Norway.She was one of the 850 guests to listen to the magical sounds of Nidarosdomens Boys’ Choir, when they performed in the St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Singapore on Friday 20 May 2016.Oystein Tonnessen, Head of Communication and Music from the Norwegian Seamen’s Church in Singapore couldn’t agreed more.

“Think about how huge this is. More than 800 people are gathered here in the church on a Friday evening to listen to classical music. That is unusual, but it also shows how appreciated the Nidarosdomens Boys’ Choir is,” he says.The attention for the concert proved the universal love for music. The boys sang in Norwegian, German, English, and even Latin, but both familiar and unknown words from the songs were all equally appreciated by the audience. St. Andrew’s Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Singapore, and its huge volume space made the voices sound clear and strong. Even outside of the church were people gathered to listen to the concert.“It’s unbelievable. The tickets were sold out in the very beginning, and we have even made more seats available. I am so happy about how the Singaporean community are welcoming Norwegian culture,” says Rolf Jarle Brøske, Director of Communication, The Norwegian Oil Company.With the youngest member of the choir only being 10 years old, you wonder how many nerves are build up before the performance. The choir’s conductor, Bjørn Moe, said the boys were very excited, but having nerves? No. “Backstage they have been relaxed, but eager to sing,” he said.And as they say, practice makes perfect.“All of these boys have been training incredibly hard to become the Nidarosdomens Boys’ Choir. They have trained to succeed,” says Karl Johnny Hersvik, CEO of The Norwegian Oil Company.According to the boys themselves, nerves were not an issue.Members of Boys’ Choir Peter Irgens and Save Brautaset, both 12 years old, agreed the concert had been and fantastic experience, and they were not nervous at all. “The only thing I was worried about was the heat, because usually we have to wear long pants underneath our cape uniforms, but luckily, we were allowed to wear shorts,” says Peter Irgens, member of Nidarosdomen’s Boys’ Choir.

All the boys were handed beautifully handmade gifts from Singaporean C.I.T.Y. organization, as a thank you of bringing Norwegian culture into Singapore and pleasing all guests with their voices. Norwegian Ambassador in Singapore, H.E. Mr. Tormod C. Endresen, showed his gratefulness in words of having the boys’ choir in Singapore.The 60 boys from the choir were brought from Trondheim to Singapore by Det Norske Oljeselskap ASA (The Norwegian Oil Company) as a part of the celebration of finishing the Ivar Aasen-project, and this concert in St Andrew’s Cathedral was the only public concert. The Boys’ Choir will perform on 21 May 2016 for the official Sail Away celebration of Ivar Aasen in the morning, and again to the formal dinner at Carlton Ritz in the evening. The Norwegian Oil Company wanted to host this public concert as a way of giving back to the community they have been working in for the last 3 years. Together with the musical gift, The Norwegian Oil Company donated SGD 2000 to C.I.T.Y, (Character in the Young), a community service of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, which aims to build good character in school children.

(heraldmalaysia)

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Killing

Norwegian mercenary killed in east Ukraine

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

1134287According to the militia, the mercenary was killed in a conflict between the representatives of a private military company and gunmen of the Aidar volunteer battalion.

A mercenary from Norway died of a gunshot wound during a conflict with gunmen of the Aidar volunteer battalion in eastern Ukraine, the official spokesman for the militia in the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic said on Monday.

The body of the Norwegian national, who worked for a private military company, has been sent from Stanitsa Luganskaya, Andrey Marochko said.

“The conflict occurred on May 20-21 between the representatives of a private military company and gunmen of the Aidar nationalist battalion in which the mercenary died of a gunshot wound,” the spokesman was quoted by the LuganskInformCenter as saying.

(tass)

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Media Freedom

Norway: NRK confirms participation in Eurovision 2017

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

nrk14_1000_scaled_1024NRK, the Norwegian national broadcaster has confirmed to ESCToday that Norway will participate at the forthcoming 2017 Eurovision Song Contest.

Norway has won the Eurovision Song Contest thrice: in 1985 with Bobbysocks,in 1995 with Secret Garden and in 2009 with Alexander Rybak. In 2015 Agnete flew the Norwegian flag with Icebreaker, despite a mafnificent performance she failed to qualify to the grand final.

Thus Norway joins Ukraine, France, Switzerland, Estonia, Finland and The Netherlands in the list of countries that have so far confirmed their participation at next year’s Eurovision edition scheduled to be be held in Ukraine.

NRK will release more details on the 2017 Norwegian Eurovision project and mechanism in the coming months.

The preliminary dates for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest have been set on 16, 18 and 20 May.

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Economics

Clinton urges Obama to block Norwegian

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton looks on before presenting Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security's (GIWPS) annual Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security at Georgetown University on February 25 2014 in Washington DC.Photo by Olivier Douliery/ABACAUSA.com

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton looks on before presenting Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security’s (GIWPS) annual Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security at Georgetown University on February 25 2014 in Washington DC.Photo by Olivier Douliery/ABACAUSA.com

Hillary Clinton is urging the White House to reject Norwegian Air’s application to fly to the United States over questions about its labor practices, adding her voice to a growing chorus of criticism surrounding the low-cost air carrier.

“Hillary Clinton urges the Obama Administration against moving forward with final approval of Norwegian Air International’s application,” Hillary for America labor campaign director Nikki Budzinski said in a statement. “Too many questions have been raised about NAI’s practices and plans.”
Norwegian Air has for years been seeking access to more airports in the U.S. and European Union, by establishing a subsidiary — Norwegian Air International — in Ireland, a member of the EU.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) tentatively approved the application last month.

But critics have slammed the company for attempting to skirt more stringent Norwegian labor and tax laws by establishing itself in Ireland and say it is undermining competition by hiring pilots contracted through Asia, where labor costs are lower.

Clinton’s rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders, has already voiced strong opposition to the airline over similar reasons.

“Norwegian Air International’s attempt to undermine international labor laws by outsourcing cheap labor from Thailand and other low-wage countries is unacceptable,” Sanders’s campaign website says. “We must do everything we can to prevent a global race to the bottom in the airline industry.”

Norwegian Air currently flies to some airports in the U.S. under the banner of its parent company, Norwegian Air Shuttle. But the company says the model for its low-cost subsidiary, which would offer transatlantic flights for as low as $150 each way, requires access to more Open Skies airports in order to have more route flexibility.

The Transportation Department said that in approving applications, it does not have to consider a clause in the U.S. and EU’s Open Skies agreement that says “opportunities created by the Agreement are not intended to undermine labour standards or the labour-related rights.”

Norwegian Air maintains that it established its subsidiary in Ireland for access to future traffic rights to and from the EU and to secure better aircraft financing rates, and has agreed not to use any Asian-based cabin crew on transatlantic flights.

But that hasn’t stopped a group of bipartisan lawmakers from pushing a bill that would require the DOT to consider the labor clause when approving permits, which would effectively block Norwegian’s bid.

The legislation picked up its 100th co-sponsor last week.

“Workers in the U.S. airline industry deserve rules of the road that support a strong workforce with high labor standards — not attempts by airlines to flout labor standards and outsource good-paying jobs,” Budzinski said in the statement.
“That’s why our Open Skies Agreement with Europe explicitly calls for the maintenance of high labor standards to guide the parties in its implementation.”

Norwegian, however, does not appear threatened by the comments from Clinton’s camp.

“Norwegian is confident the Department of Transportation will approve Norwegian Air International’s application,” Anders Lindström, a spokesman for Norwegian, said in a statement. “Approval of NAI will result in more U.S. aviation sector jobs, enable Norwegian to expand its already large pool of American crew, and deliver much needed competition and affordable fares to consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.”

(thehill)

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Srilanka and Norway

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Norway requests relief donations

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, right, shakes hands with his Norwegian counterpart, Borge Brende, during their meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, right, shakes hands with his Norwegian counterpart, Borge Brende, during their meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka is in inclement weather condition, landslides and floods due to heavy rain.

“According to the government assessments, 427,918 people belonging to 105,360 families are affected by floods and landslides as of the situation report issued by Emergency Operation Centre of DMC as of 20th May 2016.

Out of the affected, 319,507 people from 64,308 families have been evacuated to 602 safe locations. About 474 houses are reported to be fully damaged and 3,674 houses partially damaged by floods and landslides.” says Ministry of Disaster Management, Sri Lanka.

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, together with the Minister of Disaster Management Anura Priyadharshana Yapa and the Minister of Health & Indigenous Medicine Dr. Rajitha Senaratne briefed the Heads of Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations based in Colombo, on the flood and landslide situation in the country, Thursday 19 May 2016 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Further, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established a Task Force to coordinate emergency relief assistance from Diplomatic Missions in Colombo and Sri Lankan Missions overseas, with the relevant Ministries and Agencies in Sri Lanka.

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Norway requests all generous people in Norway who come forward to make donations in order to provide relief to the affected people, to contact the Embassy of Sri Lanka for transferring funds and also for contributing projects on reconstruction of houses and rehabilitation of flood affected people.

Email: embassy@srilanka.no

Telephone: 0047-23136950

https://www.facebook.com/Embassy-of-Sri-Lanka-Oslo-Norway-145764082166605/

(N.Sethu)

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Oil & Gas

SembMarine delivers record-large platform topsides for Norway

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

22_05_2016 - hhivar23_0THE largest North Sea-class production platform topsides to be delivered from Sembcorp Marine (SembMarine) in Singapore is ready to sail away for Norwegian oil exploration and development company Det Norske’s Ivar Aasen oilfield development.

The engineering, procurement and construction of the topsides contracted to Sembcorp Marine Offshore Platforms (SMOP), then known as SMOE, in February 2013 for S$900 million took 40 months to complete.

SMOP head Ho Nee Sin said at the sailaway ceremony on Saturday that the 13,900-tonne integrated topsides, with a 70-men living quarters-cum-helideck, is SembMarine’s offshore platform division’s biggest delivered structure to date for the Norwegian North Sea.

Mr Ho said the project delivery in Singapore drew on expertise from 23 countries working together under one roof, clocking more than 14 million man hours of worth with negligible safety incidents.

The detailed design for the topsides was performed by Wood Group Mustang in London with support from its head office in Houston and global offices in Kuala Lumpur and Norway. Most of the major packages were procured from Norwegian vendors.

SMOE won the contract in an international tender, not only beating incumbents in Norway but also overcoming opposition from an activist shareholder then advocating for the platform to be built in Det Norske’s home country.

SMOE was able to triumph over its dissenters on its established track record of delivering structures meeting the most stringent health, safety and environment standards in the North Sea. Prior to Ivar Aasen, SMOE had delivered an 11,300-tonne accommodation topsides for ConocoPhillips’ Ekofisk 2/4L project, also off Norway.

The Ivar Aasen platform topsides has already been loaded out onto a leased heavy-transport vessel from Cosco Shipping. The Business Times understands the large structure will sail in June to Norway.

Det Norske has also on hire through to December Safe Zephyrus, a Prosafe-owned accommodation rig delivered from SembMarine’s Tanjong Kling shipyard, to support Ivar Aasen’s field development work.

Production start-up at Ivar Aasen is projected in the fourth quarter of 2016. Ivar Aasen field holds about 200 million barrels of oil equivalent in reserves, with projected production life of 20 years.

(businesstimes)

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Asia and Norway

US, Norway knew about alleged Vic IS guard

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan

policia_aust.jpg_1718483346Counter-terrorism intelligence from other countries will be used in the case against a Melbourne nurse who returned to Australia after allegedly working with Islamic State in Syria.

Father-of-five Adam Matthew Brookman is accused of knowingly providing support to IS by undertaking guard duty and reconnaissance in 2014.

It was alleged this support would help “prepare or foster” a terrorist act.

A second charge relates to undertaking guard and reconnaissance duty with the intention of supporting the terrorist organisation.

Brookman was arrested by Australian Federal Police at Sydney Airport last year.

He was repatriated to Australia in July after he turned himself in to Turkish authorities.

Brookman on Monday appeared via video link in the Melbourne Magistrates Court, which heard the federal Attorney-General was expected to seek assistance from Norway as part of the prosecution’s case against him.

A US witness, whose identity has been suppressed, is also expected to fly to Melbourne to give evidence.

At a previous hearing, the court heard the American had communicated with Brookman between November 2013 and May 2015.

Information gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and from social media is also expected to form part of the case against Brookman.

He will remain in custody and return to court in August.

(AAP )

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Science

Developing biological micro-factories with LED

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan
Trondheim 015.04.2016 : SINTEF forsker på hvilke lys alger foretrekker. Mikroalgene utsettes for forskjellige typer LED-lys og for å finne ut hva som gir den beste veksten. Foto: Thor Nielsen

Trondheim 015.04.2016 : SINTEF forsker på hvilke lys alger foretrekker. Mikroalgene utsettes for forskjellige typer LED-lys og for å finne ut hva som gir den beste veksten. Foto: Thor Nielsen

“We’re working to synthesise raw materials for biofuels, cosmetics and health food, and ingredients which can replace fish oil in fish farm feed, by means of so-called phototrophic production using algae,” says Andreas Hagemann, a SINTEF research scientist.

“We extract Omega 3 fatty acids from fish which absorb them from their food, such as small crustaceans, and which in turn have obtained them by grazing on microalgae”, he says.

Hagemann is standing in his lab in Trondheim, Norway, beside something which looks like a glowing advertising sign, but which in fact consists of small light panels covered with light-emitting diodes.

Alongside it are four small glass flasks containing a bubbling liquid looking a bit like a yellow-green smoothie. This is the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis. It is reproducing, and the bubbles cause the liquid to circulate so that the algae are exposed to equal amounts of light.

“The light intensity is significantly reduced not far inside the flasks,” Hagemann explains. The lab spectacles he is wearing are actually sunglasses because although the light is not harmful to his eyes, it is tiring to work in such strong light for an extended period.

A living factory

What we are looking at is a small algal factory which can produce a range of different nutrients, thanks to the small light-emitting diodes.

“We’ve known for some time that micro-organisms that convert light energy to chemical energy respond differently, depending on the type and amount of light to which they are exposed,” explains Hagemann.

This is where the LED technology comes into its own. LEDs can be controlled much more precisely than other types of light sources. By tailoring the light’s spectrum, intensity and duration, researchers can influence the production of interesting compounds by the algae.

“For example, we can illuminate the alga in such a way that it becomes stressed. It then produces a “smart” substance which it uses to protect itself against the stress,” explains Hagemann, who works in SINTEF’s Department of Marine Resource Technology, which researches mainly into organisms close to the bottom of the marine food chain.

“This technology can provide us with a number of raw materials which can be used in everything from medicines to fuel”, he says.

Lights from the mountain village

SINTEF researchers Andreas and Matilde Chauton are currently carrying out lab tests to see how the intensity of the light emitted by the diodes with different light spectra affects different single-celled organisms. The goal is to get them to produce the fatty acid EPA and the antioxidant astaxanthin, which are both in demand in the health food industry.

They are working on assignment for Evolys, a Norwegian company based in the small mountain village Trysil, which is developing and manufacturing various forms of lighting for use in the agriculture and aquaculture industries. Determining the potential of light, and particularly of LED technology, to influence the “production capacity” of algae is an important area of focus for the company.

“Microalgae represent an exciting new industry,” says the company’s founder, Kristoffer Lindback Larsen. “And supplying products based on this science is an important part of our business concept. We are therefore collaborating with SINTEF to discover more about how light affects microalgae, including their growth and the substances of interest they may contain. We want to use this knowledge to develop methods which achieve our goal as effectively as possible. We believe this will improve growth in the industry and increase production by our customers. Much of the knowledge we need originates in SINTEF’s laboratory,” he explains.

From biofuels to animal feed

This new industry has enormous potential. Using microalgae, a growth medium containing nitrogen and phosphorous, carbon dioxide and the right type of light, it is possible to generate a wide range of useful and valuable substances which otherwise are in short supply.

“This is a small industry at present, but globally we believe it will grow rapidly. Our aim is to be ready with Norwegian skills and products,” says Lindback Larsen. “Light is by far the most important factor when producing phototrophic microalgae, and just a small adjustment of the light can be a “make or break” factor for our customers,” he says.

(gemini)

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Environment

Why is there such a fuss about NOx?

by Nadarajah Sethurupan
written by Nadarajah Sethurupan
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What actually is NOx, and is this gas a climate-change sinner? And where does ozone come into the picture? SINTEF- scientist Mario Ditaranto, an expert on combustion, provides all the answers on flue gases.

“What is NOx?”

“NOx is actually a collective expression that refers to two distinct gases that are subject to quite strict emission limits: NO or nitric oxide, and NO2 or nitrogen dioxide. Both of these gases are formed when practically anything that is combustible is burned. Nitrous oxide (N2O), better known as laughing gas, is also occasionally included in the NOx concept,” explains Ditaranto.

In fact, almost 80 per cent of the air that we breathe, and which is consumed in a fire, is nitrogen. The nitrogen molecule, N2, which is oxidised to NOx during the combustion process, may come from fuels such as wood, coal, biofuel, etc., but also from the air itself.

NOx have long been known as significant pollutants in many sectors, including transport, electricity generation and industry. A number of measures have been introduced to reduce NOx emissions.

“Why are NOx pollutants?”

“NOx are toxic to human beings when they are inhaled, even at relatively low concentrations (tens of parts per million).”

“NOx are present both in vehicle exhausts and industrial chimney smoke.”

“They (especially NO2) are also responsible for smog and the typical brown sky that often covers large cities and reduces air quality. NOx are also the most important source of acid rain. These gases are therefore not only sources of atmospheric pollution, but also contribute to the general acidification of soil and water,” points out Ditaranto.

“Are NOx from vehicles a greenhouse gas?”

“Well, the answer is both yes and no. As I have just mentioned, NOx refers to two different molecules whose relative concentration in exhaust gases depends on the type of combustion involved, that is, whether it is petrol, diesel oil, or wood that is being burned. Diesel cars produce more NOx than petrol vehicles, due to the higher combustion pressures and temperatures in diesel engines.”

Although the most important component of vehicles exhausts is NO, this is rapidly oxidised to NO2, which is not a greenhouse gas itself. That is to say, if we fill a bottle with NO2 and leave it out in the sun, the temperature of the gas will not rise. However, NO2 is responsible for the formation of ozone, which is a greenhouse gas, via secondary reactions with other gases.

Although ozone itself has a short lifetime, measured in hours to days, it influences cloud formation and the absorption of carbon by plants, which in turn has an effect on global warming.

The lifetime of NOx in the atmosphere is therefore influenced by how rapidly it is transformed into other directly dangerous components (acids and ozone), a process that can take place in the course of a few hours or days. The conclusion is that although NOx themselves are not greenhouse gases, emissions of these gases do lead to global warming, points out the SINTEF scientist.

“What is the problem with ozone and solar radiation?”

“Ozone in the troposphere, which is the lowest layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, and in which we live, is a danger to life, and also leads to global warming via the interactions that we have just mentioned. However, ozone is also essential higher up in the stratosphere, because it protects us against ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Ozone also has a cooling effect in the stratosphere. Unfortunately, however, human activity is leading to a breakdown of stratospheric ozone and an increase in ozone levels closer to ground level.”

“What about the really wicked climate gas; nitrous oxide?”

“N2O, or laughing gas, is also produced during combustion, especially from biomass or coal in certain types of combustion process, but to a lesser extent by vehicles. Unfortunately, N2O reduces stratospheric ozone, which is regarded as “good” ozone.”

“The most important source of N2O emissions is the use of artificial fertilisers. Unlike the other NOx, N2O is a powerful greenhouse gas, 300 times as strong as CO2 in a hundred-year perspective. Furthermore, this gas has a lifetime of about 110 years in the atmosphere. It is responsible for about six per cent of the global greenhouse gas effect, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).”

“Which is worse; diesel or petrol, as far as N2O are concerned?”

“As far as vehicles are concerned, there is little to choose between diesel and petrol in terms of N2O emissions. Ironically, laughing gas is largely produced by the catalysts that are used to reduce NOx emissions from cars!

“The global warming effect of N2O is estimated to be in the order of one to ten per cent of total lifetime geenhouse gas emissions from a vehicle”, says SINTEF combustion expert Mario Ditaranto.

So now you know all you need to know about NOx.

(gemini)

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