Statoil

Infobox Defunct Company
company_name = Statoil ASA
company_
slogan =
fate = merged with Norsk Hydro division
successor = StatoilHydro
foundation = 14 July 1972
defunct = 1 October 2007
location = Stavanger, Norway
industry = Oil and gas
key_people =
products = Oil
Natural gas
Petrochemicals
num_employees =
parent =
subsid =

Statoil ASA was a Norwegian petroleum company established in 1972, now part of StatoilHydro. The brand Statoil is retained as a chain of fuel stations owned by StatoilHydro. Statoil was the largest petroleum company in the Nordic countries and Norway's largest company, employing over 25,000 people. While Statoil was listed on both the Oslo Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange, the Norwegian state still held majority ownership, with 64%. The main office located in Norway's oil capital Stavanger. The name Statoil was a truncated form of "the State's oil".

Statoil was one of the largest net sellers of crude oil in the world, and a major supplier of natural gas to the European continent, Statoil also operated around 2000 service stations in 9 countries. The company's CEO from mid-2004 onwards was Helge Lund, formerly CEO of Aker Kværner.

History

Early years

Den Norske Stats Oljeselskap A/S was founded as a private limited company owned by the Government of Norway on 14 July 1972 by a unanimous act passed by the Norwegian parliament Stortinget. The political motivation was Norwegian participation in the oil industry on the continental shelf and to build up Norwegian competency within the petroleum industry to establish the foundations of a domestic petroleum industry. Statoil was required to discuss important issues with the Minister of Industry, later Minister of Petroleum and Energy. Statoil was also required to submit an annual report to the parliament.

In 1973 the company started work acquiring a presence in the petrochemical industry. This resulted in the development of processing plants in Rafsnes and, in partnership with Norsk Hydro, the Mongstad plant in 1980. In 1981 the company acquired, as the first Norwegian company, operator rights on the Norwegian continental shelf on the Gullfaks field. 1987-88 saw the largest scandal in the companies history, the Mongstad scandal that made the until then unassailable CEO Arve Johnsen withdraw.

Privatization

The company was privatised and made a public limited company (allmennaksjeselskap) in 2001, becoming listed on both the Oslo Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. At the same time it changed its name to Statoil ASA.

Merger with Hydro

In December 2006 Statoil revealed a proposal to merge with the oil business of Norsk Hydro, a Norwegian conglomerate. [ [http://www.hydro.com/cgi-bin/www.hydro.com/show_press_rel.cgi?file=/en/press_room/press_releases/archive/2006_12/2768/2768_en.html Hydro's oil and gas activities to merge with Statoil] , "Norsk Hydro", published 2006-12-18, accessed 2007-06-20] Under the rules of the EEA the proposal was approved by the European Union on May 3, 2007 [http://www.eubusiness.com/Energy/statoil-norsk.44/ EU regulators approve Statoil, Norsk Hydro merger] , "EU Business", published 2007-05-03, accessed 2007-06-20] and by the Norwegian Parliament on June 8, 2007. [http://www.ocean-resources.com/news/ournews.asp?NewsID=5709 Norwegian Parliament Okays Statoil-Hydro Merger] , "Ocean-Resources", published 2007-06-11, accessed 2007-06-20] Former Statoil's shareholders hold 67.3% of the new company StatoilHydro, which started operations on 1 October 2007. The company is the biggest offshore oil and gas company in the world.

Environmental Record

Statoil had three recent oil spills in the Arctic waters near Norway. All the spills occurred from its ocean rig called the Erik Raude. The company was searching for oil in the region, which environmentalists were against because they wanted the sensitive area free from pollution. However, the Norwegian government allowed oil exploration, as long as there were no emissions.cite web |url=http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/15989 |author=Environmental News Network |title=Norway's Statoil Shuts Down Oil Drilling Rig After Arctic Oil Spill |date=2005-04-13] After the merger to StatoilHydro, in December 2007, 25,000 barrels of oil leaked into the North Sea. This was Statoil’s 2nd worst oil spill. [ cite web |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSL1415001920071214?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0 |title=North Sea oil spill off Norway largely "dissolved" |author=Reuters |date=2007-12-14] Two leaks also occurred in February, 2008. In March, Statoil dropped about 1.6 tons of pure hydraulic oil in the Barents Sea. Hydraulic oil is said to be the 2nd most hazardous pollutant.cite web |url=http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1016676.ece |title=Bellona files charges after oil spill |author=Aftenposten |date=2005-04-13] Since the leaks, Statoil has stated that the oil has mostly dissolved, and there is not much proof of ecological harm. The Norwegian government has not stopped the oil drilling in the Arctic waters, and Statoil started up its oil operations in April. Bellona, a Norwegian environmental group, is looking to take legal action. They want the end of oil drilling in the Barents Sea.

Controversy and corruption

Rotvoll controversy

In 1991 there arose a controversy between Statoil and local environmentalists, mainly from Natur og Ungdom and Friends of the Earth Norway, who protested the building of a new research and development centre at Rotvoll in Trondheim, Norway, wetlands area close to the city with significant bird life. The controversy was climaxed with civil disobedience by the environmentalists, but the centre was still built.

tatoil corruption case

The Statoil corruption case refers to the company's misconduct and use of corruption in Iran in 2002/2003 in an attempt to secure lucrative oil contracts in that country. This was mainly achieved by hiring the services of Horton Investments, an Iranian consultancy firm owned by Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, son of former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani. Horton Investments was paid USD 15.2 million by Statoil to influence important political figures in Iran to grant oil contracts to Statoil. The corruption scandal was uncovered by Norwegian paper Dagens Næringsliv on September 3, 2003.

Corrib gas project

Statoil was a partner of Royal Dutch Shell in the Corrib gas project, which entails developing a natural gas field off the northwest of Ireland. The project has proved controversial, and a national campaign, Shell to Sea, now opposes the project vehemently. In the summer of 2005, five men from County Mayo were jailed because of their opposition to the project, and Statoil filling stations around Ireland were picketed - although these are only operated under franchise by Topaz Energy. Scores of protesters had to be moved on by An Garda SíochánaDubious|date=April 2008 in order to facilitate the building of a refinery to process the gas in Erris, but the protests continue. [cite web |url=http://www.corribsos.com/ |title=Shell to Sea |author=Shell to Sea |accessdate=2007-09-12]

References

External links

* [http://www.statoil.com/ Corporate website]
* [http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/10/worlds_largest_.html World’s Largest Carbon Sequestration Project Approved]
* [http://oilrigcareer.com/index.php?sid=875791982&t=sub_pages&cat=12 Statoil operated oil fields] Detailed list of all oil fields operated by Statoil
* [http://www.statoillubricants.com/ Statoil's Lubricants]
* [http://www.statoil.dk/ Statoil Denmark]
* [http://www.statoil.se/ Statoil Sweden]