Interview
of Bente Hovland and Hilde Røed, both working in the Sustainability Unit at
Statoil.As an oil & gas company, what is your approach to sustainability?
Fundamental
changes are happening in the oil and gas industry. We face new challenges, such
as pressure on margins, changing patterns of energy supply and consumption,
geopolitical instability and rising climate change concerns. In this changing
context, we are pursuing a strategy to deliver a long-term vision: being one of
the leaders in our industry that is shaping the future of energy.
As
a large producer of oil and gas, and therefore a significant emitter of
greenhouse gases, we can and must contribute to providing more energy with
lower missions. Statoil has been involved in Sustainability for many decades.
Last year, the Group identified two main pillars to focus on: to create lasting
local value for communities and to be recognized as the most carbon efficient
oil and gas producer.
To
that aim, we conduct active engagement and dialogue with governments, local
authorities and communities. We believe that creating value can only be
achieved through working closely with our stakeholders and understanding their
concerns and expectations. In a complex ecosystem, multiple perspectives and
concerted efforts from many sectors are needed to move forward.
Every
year we publish a sustainability report which highlights our environmental and
social performance. If we do not have all the answers towards a green shift, we
know that transparency, external trust and visibility are essential to support
our efforts. Knowing the key points and success factors is important to adapt
and deliver more energy with less emissions.
In
2015, Statoil joined the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, a voluntary, CEO-led
grouping that aims to accelerate and guide the industry’s shift towards a low
carbon world. The company engaged in this type of collaboration to enable the
entire industry to share and contribute with solutions.Did you approach lead to adapt your internal set-up? How did your teams embrace this new vision?
Safety and sustainability management is an integral part of our overall management system, which includes our policies and requirements, operating model and governance. Our objective is to transform strong ambitions into concrete actions and achieve real results. Integrating a new mindset into a business strategy takes time, but we are in a privileged situation since the Board is very much involved.
The members have a good understanding of the risks associated with sustainability issues and this helps to support our mission internally. A Board Sustainability Committee meets approximately every two months to discuss future investments, ambitions and decisions. We focus on our strategy and strongly leverage on our position within the organization to build people’s knowledge. The main objective is to break silos, and to define specific training plans at a corporate level. We set-up seminars and courses on a number of aspects of sustainability and we think about new initiatives to drive our internal competencies.
According to you, what are the main challenges for the future?
The shift to a low carbon world is probably the most challenging step for the future. Balancing the need for emission cuts and helping communities to have access to affordable sustainable energy sources are major elements to be placed on the radar too. High carbon efficiency and investments in low-carbon business opportunities will help ensure the long-term viability of our industry. Creatinglocal value helps maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with the communities in which we operate. Together with safe and secure operations, this is a prerequisite for sound business performance. We want to build a new energy business focusing on opportunities arising from the transition to a low carbon world.
The industry is transforming fast. All stakeholders have to work together to find new solutions. We work closely with our suppliers to explore new technologies, for example, in 2014 we entered into long term charter contracts for 14 “eco-design” vessels to be delivered in the next few year.
Collaboration is essential to grasp new opportunities. Our approach to business and growth within renewables and new energy solutions includes both commercial investments and research & development. Our offshore floating wind technology, Hywind, for example, can be developed in places where conventional bottom fixed turbine structures are not feasible. Statoil has been testing such an offshore wind technology over the past six years through the single Hywind Demo turbine installed off the Norwegian west coast; a new project, the Hywind Scotland Offshore Wind Pilot Park, is currently being built and is expected to supply 20 000 Scottish households with renewable power.