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Sparking the Flame: Electrifying Fossil Capital for Green Petroleum Production in Norway

Hovdhaugen, Erlend Walter Arne LU (2025) HEKM51 20251
Department of Human Geography
Human Ecology
Abstract
The bulk of Norwegian offshore oil and gas platforms are self-sustained with energy, burning a portion of the extracted gas in turbines to power production. Replacing this energy with electricity from renewables – electrifying – has been put forward as a way to quickly slash domestic emissions. This, all while retaining and expanding fossil fuel production, whose lion’s share of emissions stem not from production, but from end uses in combustion. Through a case study of plans to electrify the fields Draugen and Njord off the coast of Trøndelag informed by interviews and thematic analysis, this thesis investigates the understandings of oil and gas electrification among workers in the supply sector of the Norwegian oil and gas industry.... (More)
The bulk of Norwegian offshore oil and gas platforms are self-sustained with energy, burning a portion of the extracted gas in turbines to power production. Replacing this energy with electricity from renewables – electrifying – has been put forward as a way to quickly slash domestic emissions. This, all while retaining and expanding fossil fuel production, whose lion’s share of emissions stem not from production, but from end uses in combustion. Through a case study of plans to electrify the fields Draugen and Njord off the coast of Trøndelag informed by interviews and thematic analysis, this thesis investigates the understandings of oil and gas electrification among workers in the supply sector of the Norwegian oil and gas industry. Viewing electrification as a material expression of Norwegian fossil ideology, the discussion further develops this concept and situates the provisioning of fixed capital for electrification in the circuits of fossil capital. In addition, the analysis is used to develop the notion of electrified fossil capital. This new form is argued to be a pivotal development in promoting “green” fossil fuels and in sustaining the current fossil fuel production regime in Norway. These critical insights contribute an alternative conceptualization to the dominant narrative on electrification, and theory for assessing similar developments in emissions reduction efforts elsewhere. (Less)
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author
Hovdhaugen, Erlend Walter Arne LU
supervisor
organization
course
HEKM51 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
language
English
id
9201433
date added to LUP
2025-07-31 11:26:56
date last changed
2025-07-31 11:26:56
@misc{9201433,
  abstract     = {{The bulk of Norwegian offshore oil and gas platforms are self-sustained with energy, burning a portion of the extracted gas in turbines to power production. Replacing this energy with electricity from renewables – electrifying – has been put forward as a way to quickly slash domestic emissions. This, all while retaining and expanding fossil fuel production, whose lion’s share of emissions stem not from production, but from end uses in combustion. Through a case study of plans to electrify the fields Draugen and Njord off the coast of Trøndelag informed by interviews and thematic analysis, this thesis investigates the understandings of oil and gas electrification among workers in the supply sector of the Norwegian oil and gas industry. Viewing electrification as a material expression of Norwegian fossil ideology, the discussion further develops this concept and situates the provisioning of fixed capital for electrification in the circuits of fossil capital. In addition, the analysis is used to develop the notion of electrified fossil capital. This new form is argued to be a pivotal development in promoting “green” fossil fuels and in sustaining the current fossil fuel production regime in Norway. These critical insights contribute an alternative conceptualization to the dominant narrative on electrification, and theory for assessing similar developments in emissions reduction efforts elsewhere.}},
  author       = {{Hovdhaugen, Erlend Walter Arne}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Sparking the Flame: Electrifying Fossil Capital for Green Petroleum Production in Norway}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}