Økokrim has been investigating the company for serious violations of the Norwegian Pollution Control Act since 2021. The penalty notice issued against Equinor Refining Norway AS is based on years of inadequate maintenance, resulting in illegal gas emissions and oil spills.
– The company receives the penalty notice because they have neglected their duty to properly maintain the facility for decades, says Public Prosecutor Maria Bache Dahl.
Lives could have been lost
The spills and emissions covered by the penalty notice occurred at the oil refinery in Mongstad between 2016 and 2021. One incident could have resulted in loss of lives.
– The most serious incident was the emission of 40 tons of gas containing high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide. The emission could have killed several employees at the facility. Økokrim believes it was just a stroke of luck that nobody was hurt, says Bache Dahl.
The inadequate maintenance was also a factor in countless known and unknown discharges of oil to ground at the site, although the company never had a ground discharge permit. The company has itself cleaned up over 200,000 litres of oil spillages from the refinery from the sea and the ground.
Serious environmental crime
The fine in the penalty notice amounts to NOK 220 million. The penalty notice also imposes confiscation of NOK 500 million. The amounts reflect costs saved on inadequate maintenance.
– The case illustrates how environmental crime is also financial crime, as the financial savings have caused environmental harm, says Bache Dahl.
Økokrim takes an extremely serious view of the case, as reflected in the size of the fine. The amount to be confiscated is among the highest ever, and the fine the second highest ever imposed on a Norwegian company.
The case was reported to Økokrim by the Norwegian Environment Agency and the environmental organization Bellona in December of 2020.
The company has not accepted the penalty notice, and the case will be referred to Hordaland District Court for trial.