Norway opportunities and problems

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  • Norway - Social, economic & environmental opportunities & Problems created by the exploration of energy resources
    • Oppertunities
      • Social
        • Pop is small 4.5m so benefits per person are considerable
        • Standard of living is higher than it would be without oil and gas
        • Incomes are higher
        • Country is able to afford a welfare system which is one of the best in the world
        • Community development is a top priority
          • Revenue from oil and gas has allowed a high per capita spending on sports, youth, transport and general facilites
      • Economic
        • Oil and gas revenue accounts for 1/3rd of export earnings
          • 3rd largest in the world and vital to economy
        • 80,000 people are employed and 25,000 jobs are directly and indirectly emplyoed
        • Boosted technological development in other industires
        • Created a cycle of cummulative causation in the reigons affectd
      • Environmental
        • H.E.P accounts for 99% of electricity generation
        • One of Europe's cleanest nations in terms of energy use
        • 850 H.E.P plants, total capacity of 27,000 MW
    • Problems
      • Environmental and economic concerns have been raised
        • Large number of H.E.P plants are bringing an increasing number of heavy industries to Norway, attracted to cheaper H.E.P
      • Danger of major maritime incident is always possible
      • What is being done?
        • Norway has a Renewable Energy Programme, its main objective is to reduce H.E.P transmission to develop undersea cable technology
          • It is looking at solar, wind and biomass possibilities
        • Locals and politicians realise that their oil and gas revenues have been placed in a Government Petroleum Fund
          • This money is invested in abroad and is now valued at more than $150 billion

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