Stoltenberg bid to calm Lofoten waters

Contentious issue: Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg

NTB/SCANPIX

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By News reports

 08 February 2013 09:46 GMT

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has rejected a call by the nation’s oil minister to start drilling in restricted areas off the environmentally sensitive Lofoten islands this year, according to a report.

“I absolutely can’t imagine that there will be oil activity in the opened areas of Nordland VI this fall,” Labour Prime Minister Stoltenberg said in response to a question in the Oslo parliament this week, referring to a partly opened exploration area that has been put on hold for the past decade, Bloomberg reported.

He added that an eventual opening would only take place after an impact assessment study is carried out on this block and two others, Nordland VII and Troms II, that remain off-limits to oil drilling.

Petroleum and Energy Minister Ola…

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