RIYADH — The visiting Norwegian Petroleum and Energy Minister Aslaug Haga said that his country is in complete agreement with her Saudi counterpart Ali Al-Naimi’s stand that there is no need to increase oil production.
The Norwegian minister was speaking to the press yesterday following a series of discussions with senior government officials, including Al-Naimi, Dr. Saleh Ibn Humeid, chairman of the Shoura Council, and key officials in the Saudi Human Rights Commission and Saudi Aramco. The country’s Ambassador Jan Bugge Hart was also present at the press briefing held at a hotel in Riyadh.
Touching on the current oil market, the minister said: “There is uncertainty. We do not know what is going to happen for US economy. But still the common understanding is that there is an increasing demand for petroleum in other parts of the world. There will be demand in India, China and other low-income and middle-income countries where rapid developments are taking place.”
“We both share a common view on renewable and biofuel. To develop renewable sources of energy, the two countries can cooperate in developing solar energy since the Kingdom is keen on developing this sector because of the availability of solar energy, she stressed “We have competent companies who have expertise in the field and they could share their experiences with the Kingdom.”
Referring to the discussion, she had with Saudi officials, she said that the two parties agreed to cooperate with each other in developing environmental technology which will be environmental friendly.” Considering the climate change and environmental challenges. She said as oil exporting countries, both parties agreed to cooperate to get carbon capture and storage (CCS) — burying greenhouse gases — recognized as a way for rich countries to offset their emissions.
CCS involves trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial processes, such as power generation from fossil fuels, and storing it underground or below the seabed.
She pointed out that at the recent OPEC meeting, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah contributed $300 million to develop environmental technology, which includes CCS as part of its program.
Answering a question, she said that she visited the Shoura Council and the Human Rights Commission since she wants to learn more about the country that she was visiting for the first time.
Haga described her visit to Saudi Aramco as useful and she was able to exchange experiences with the officials. She also commended the management for its high-level of competency and for recruiting Saudi women for its various cadres that would eventually further accelerate development.