Policy Making Conference (20 - 22 January)

Challenges for oil and gas development in the Arctic - for programme click here

Sunday 20 January, 19:00 to 23:00

Registration, “The Return of the Sun to Tromsø” get together and art exhibition:

19:00 to 21:00 at Polar Environmental Centre, downtown

21:00 to 23:00 exhibition of Arctic photography’s and videos, at Tromsø Kunstforening

Monday 21 January, 09:00 to 16:30

At University of Tromsø, Store Auditorium, Teorifagbygget/ Main Auditorium, Theoretical Disciplines Building

Registration from 08:00

Opening of Arctic Frontiers 

• 09:00 Jarle Aarbakke, Rector of University of Tromsø & Salve Dahle, Chairman of executive committee: Opening of Arctic Frontiers
• 09:05 Hilde Nyvoll, representing the Sami parliament: Address to Arctic Frontiers 

Social, economic and cultural perspectives of Arctic oil and gas development.

Chair: Dr. Gunnar Stålsett, Bishop em. and Siri Kalvig, Storm Weather 

• 09:10 Elisabeth Walaas, State secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway, on behalf of Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre: Norway’s Policy in the High North. The Arctic Dimension
• 10:00 Gennady Oleynik, Senator Federation Council of the Russian Federation, on behalf of Governor Filipenko, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, Russian Federation: Economic and social development.
• 10:30 coffee break
• 11:00 John Calder, chair of AMAP, USA: Conclusions from the Arctic Oil and Gas Assessment.
• 11:30 Tom E. Stubbs, Integrated Environments Ltd., Canada: Social, Economic and Cultural Perspectives of Arctic Oil and Gas Development.
• 12:00 Alexander Stotsky, Deputy Governor of Nenets Autonomous Area, Russian Federation: Economic and social development.
• 12:30 Patricia Cochran, Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, USA: Inuit perspectives for economic and social development.
• 13:00 Lunch
• 14:00 Larry Persily, Associate Director for the Washington, D.C., Office of the Governor, State of Alaska, USA: Economic and social development.
• 14:30 Azat Khabibullin, Director General of LUKOIL-Komi, Russian Federation: Influence from a socially responsible oil company’s activity on the development of the northern territories in Russia.
• 15:00 Steve de Albuquerque, Health, Safety & Environmental Director, ConocoPhillips Alaska, USA: Environmental Aspects of Oil & Gas on Alaska's North Slope.
• 15:30 Halvor Engebretsen, Vice President, Head of Arctic StatoilHydro, Norway: StatoilHydro’s Arctic perspectives.
• 16:00 Erna Solberg, Leader of political party Høyre in Norwegian Parliament: Regional and national economic and social development.
• 16:30 Busses to coastal liner ‘Hurtigruta’
• 17:00 Cruise & conference dinner onboard MS ‘Polarlys’ (Polar Light)
• 21:00 Return to Tromsø and winding up at pub ‘Ølhallen’ 

Tuesday 22 January, 09:00 to 17:00 

Environmental challenges of Arctic oil and gas development – risk management and technological solutions 

Chair: Siri Bjerke, Senior Vice President, Innovation Norway 

• 09:00 Salve Dahle, Chairman of executive committee: Opening day 2
• 09:02 Hein Rune Skjoldal, AMAP lead author, Norway: Conclusions from Assessment of Oil and Gas Activities in the Arctic - Vulnerability.
• 09:30 Maria Markarova, Institute of Biology Komi, Russian Federation: Vulnerability of Pechora River Ecosystem to Oil Pollution.
• 10:00 Liv Nielsen, HSEQ Manager, Eni Norge AS: Goliat - Safe Operations.
• 10:30 coffee break
• 11:00 Neil Hamilton, Director WWF International Arctic Program: Should there be a future for Oil and Gas in the Arctic? Sustainable Development in the Age of Climate Change.
• 11:30 Prof. Vladimir Romanovsky, Geophysical Institute at University of Alaska, USA: State and Fate of Permafrost in a Changing World.
• 12:00 Dr. Dennis Thurston, AMAP lead author, USA: Conclusions from Assessment of Oil and Gas Activities in the Arctic - developments in technology.
• 12:30 lunch
• 13:30 Henrik Hannus, Vice President - Deepwater Solutions, Aker Kvaerner Engineering & Technology, Norway: Technology Solutions for Enhanced Safety of Arctic Developments.
• 14:00 Unni M. Steinsmo, CEO Sintef group, Norway: Delivering solutions.
• 14:30 Dr. Toril Røe Utvik, StatoilHydro, on behalf of the Norwegian Research Council, Norway: Challenges for technological research.
• 15:00 coffee break
• 15:30 Kirk Osadetz, Geological Survey of Canada: Gas hydrates - climatic impacts, energy potential, and the technological and environmental challenges to production.
• 16:00 Concluding remarks from Petroleum Authority Norway (Ingrid Årstad, Discipline leader) , AMAP (Lars O. Reiersen, Leader AMAP Secretariat) and Arctic Frontiers (Salve Dahle, Chairman of Arctic Frontiers).
• 16:20 Åslaug Haga, Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy: Closing remarks
• 16:50 Buses to hotels
• 20:00 – 21:15 Unconventional Choir Concert ”Stories from the North” at Culture Centre (‘Kulturhuset’) , arranged by The Northern Lights Festival 

Wednesday 23 January

Seminar for the industry Varsel om vekst – for hvem? See separate program