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The paper aims to address and provide some initial answers to the below research questions: How well have European retail electricity markets been coping with the current energy crisis? How have governments responded to increasing prices? What short-term measures can governments take to soften the impact of high energy prices? What long-term measures can governments take to protect consumers from high energy prices? What should be the role of the EU vs. the Member States? What legal constraints are imposed by EU directives and regulations? Do we need to regulate the risk exposure of suppliers? What are the options for doing this?

Karbonfangst, -transport og –lagring er lenge blitt diskutert i Norge og er et svært viktig tiltak i norsk klima- og energipolitikk. Gjennom Langskip-prosjektet ønsker Norge å bygge et fullskala prosjekt hvor fanget CO2 blir transportert med skip til CO2-mottaksterminal i Norge og deretter med rør til permanent lagring under havbunnen i Nordsjøen. Et omfattende regelverk er etablert med utgangspunkt i EU/EØS-direktiver og bygd på norsk tradisjon for regulering av petroleumsvirksomhet. Virksomheten reiser også folkerettslige spørsmål, særlig når det gjelder grensekryssende transport. Og flere EU- og EØS-rettsspørsmål reiser seg, fra forholdet til EUs klimakvotesystem og til ulike statsstøtte godkjenninger fra EFTAs overvåkningsorgan, ESA. Dette kapitlet gjennomgår den samlede reguleringen for å vise den rettslige kompleksiteten og alle de sammenhenger som reguleringen berører. Kapitlet redegjør for: gjeldende internasjonalt og nasjonalt regelverk, tillatelsesregimet for CO2-lagring, regimet for CO2-transport og CO2-fangst, miljøforurensning of miljøansvar, forholdet til EUs klimakvotesystemet og offentlig støtte til karbonfangst og lagring.

Rapporten retter seg mot personer, organisasjoner eller bedrifter, som kan kommersialisere og implementere forskningsfunnene. Målgruppen er bred og omfatter blant annet landbruksorganisasjoner, banker, folkefinansieringplattformer, og reiseselskap. Rapporten inneholder en oppsummering av utvikling og design av konseptet COOLCROWD for implementeringen i det norske samfunnet.

The chapter reviews the use of local content requirements (LCRs) in the Norwegian oil and gas legislation. Looking at the evolution of the regulation of LCRs over time and structured around two main phases, it intends to identify some best practice in terms of sustainability. In the primary phase of the development of the Norwegian petroleum sector (1970s to mid-1990s), the national legislation included explicit LCRs. The chapter provides a categorisation of the different forms of LCRs practised at that time under Norwegian law. In the second phase, the use of LCRs has been constrained by the obligations deriving from the entry into force of the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement in 1994 (including the Licensing Directive 94/22/EC and internal market rules), and the application of the relevant WTO Agreements after Norway joined the WTO in 1995 (TRIMs agreement, GATS). Norway has also entered into a series of Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) which can restrain the country’s ability to include LCRs. The chapter consequently reviews the changes introduced by Norway’s accession to the EEA, to the WTO and the implementation of certain BITs for Norwegian practices. The final part of the chapter draws conclusions in terms of a sustainability framework for LCRs and the lessons that can be drawn from the Norwegian experience that can serve as effective transplants - both prerequisites and barriers - in other jurisdictions. Innovative legal approaches to promote such strategies are cited when applicable.

ELEGANCY was an ERA-Net Cofund ACT project with the aim to help fast-tracking the decarbonization of Europe’s energy system via hydrogen and CCS. This has been achieved by overcoming or highlighting specific scientific, technological and economic/legal barriers and by undertaking five national case studies adapted to the conditions in the partner countries Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the UK. ELEGANCY had 22 partners from industry and academia/research. This paper gives a brief overview of the project and some main results.

The North Sea is important within the European energy sector. In addition to the oil and gas reservoirs present beneath the seabed, the North Sea has been identified as a primary location to construct renewable energy infrastructure and may provide eight percent of the energy supply in Europe by 2030. Offshore oil and gas, offshore wind and ocean energy projects are capital intensive; billions of euros are required for the construction of many individual projects. It is common business practice to raise debt, which is more expensive when risks are greater. Security rights such as mortgage and pledge reduce the risks of lenders. It is currently impossible to mortgage installations situated on the seabed further than 22.2 kilometres off the Dutch coast. Allowing for such mortgages could benefit the development of the offshore energy sector as this would reduce risks. This contribution reviews an alternative which would allow for installations on this part of the seabed to be mortgaged. In this context law of the sea, the lex rei sitae, ownership of the seabed and rules of Dutch property law are discussed.

This chapter deals with the reuse and repurposing of oil and gas installations in the context of decommissioning. Reuse and repurposing is of increasing relevance in many decommissioning projects, although it may only be realised in a limited number of cases. This book chapter starts with a short review of the current practice and prospects for reuse and repurposing of decommissioned oil and gas installations, including. Examples of repurposing include renewable energy generation like offshore wind, hydrogen generation or carbon capture and storage (CCS). It continues with an analysis of the place given to reuse in decommissioning legislation and how the decommissioning legal framework could provide better incentives for reuse. Then, the chapter looks at what are or should be the central considerations when deciding on reuse or repurposing. It ends with a reflection on what should be the central terms of a reuse decision, including for liability transfer between old and new owners. The chapter finishes with a summary of the recommendations made.