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Norway to Track Cars GPS to Tax Per KM (Mile) – Your Govt is Next

COMMENT: Hi,
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority is now arguing that GPS based taxation, for the amount of kilometers driven by car, can be done within 5-6 years! Norwegians trust the government way too much, because they believe that this system will eliminate the need for road tax, fuel tax, toll roads and reduce the cost of car insurance.
No way will the tax be reduced! GPS based taxation is a governments dream! Who is to stop them from issuing parking fees or speeding tickets?
Norway also has a high number of electric cars, and an electric car is sold without any tax or VAT, has reduced road tax, free of reduced toll road passage and does not contribute to fuel taxation. With GPS active, the government can finally collect taxes from electric cars without the messy environmentalists meddling.
In the worst case, a corrupt government can use the system against its people to create implications, push the burden of proof over to a troublesome citizen, in court.
Norway may be a great country regards to statistics, but will be some kind of self-imposed totalitarianism if this nonsense continues. Stay away from Norway if you cherish your hard-earned cash!
And as always, thank you, Mr. Armstrong, for your service and enlightenment.
AA
Ex-social democrat
(see source #1)

REPLY: The political-economic system post-World War II has been a socialist driven agenda. “Vote for me and I will give you other people’s money.” This system cannot be sustained when those in power have promised themselves pensions. As government workers retire, they need to be replaced. The growth rate of government has started to explode. Instead of looking at the problem objectively, they are simply looking from paycheck to paycheck on how to meet the next payroll.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Mossad Assisted Denmark In Thwarting Terror Plot; Iran Slams Allegation As “False Flag”

Mossad has claimed responsibility for tipping off Danish authorities after they thwarted an alleged terror plot by Tehran to assassinate three opposition figures living in Denmark, according to a senior Israeli intelligence official quoted in the Times of Israel.

This comes days after it was revealed this week that a Norwegian citizen of Iranian background was arrested in Sweden on Oct. 21 in connection with the plot and extradited to Denmark. The head of Danish intelligence announced on Tuesday that the assassination was meant to target the leader of the Danish branch of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA) which seeks a separate state for ethnic Arabs in Iran’s oil-producing southwestern province of Khuzestan.

Israeli officials now say European authorities were tipped off by its elite foreign intelligence service, according to the Times of Israel report:

The information about Israel’s involvement in the thwarting of the plot was first released to a small number of journalists by a “senior official,” but was later confirmed by others.

According to Israel, the Mossad gave Denmark the information about the Iranian plot to kill three Iranians suspected of belonging to the anti-regime Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz.

The suspect in custody has denied the charges, which have also been slammed by Tehran as a “false flag attempt” to frame Iran and further tarnish its reputation and global standing.

A manhunt for the Iranian plotters caused road closures in Denmark and Sweden. via EPA

Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif  issued the following statement via Twitter on Wednesday: “Mossad’s perverse & stubborn planting of false flags (more on this later) only strengthens our resolve to engage constructively with the world,” he wrote.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Why The Man Who Manages $1 Trillion Is Bracing For A “Trade Rupture”

While the rest of the market remains remarkably stoic about the potential threat from a long-lasting, escalating trade war with China, the world’s arguably biggest money manager is not so sure: according to Bloomberg, the man running the world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund is scrambling to figure out how much damage an all-out global trade war might do to his portfolio.

And with good reason: Yngve Slyngstad, the 55-year-old chief executive officer of Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, oversees investments in more than 70 countries and 9,000 companies across the globe; he also manages a total of just around $1 trillion, or 1.4% of global stocks.

And with that kind of exposure to the global economy, he’s understandably analyzing the signal – and noise – coming from the U.S. and China more closely than most (and with the S&P trading at all time highs, it is safe to say that most aren’t analyzing it at all).

“It’s quite possible there will be a rupture in trade,” Slyngstad told Bloomberg TV in an interview, his caution predicated by his massive exposure everywhere, which would make it hard to avoid disruptions to the global economy when they hit.

While Slyngstad is especially concerned about the fate of China in this new world order, he also questions the future of the global supply chains that make manufacturing tick and on which companies such as Apple rely to make iPhones in China.

“The interesting part long-term is if the global supply chains will become reconfigured,” he said. “Whether that’s actually going to become two regional ones, one centered on the U.S. and another centered on China, or are we still going to have a globalized supply chain as we have today.”

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

 

Russia Warns: Increased US Marine Corps Presence In Norway Could Be Viewed As An Attack

Russia is hinting that a new wave of U.S. Marines in Norway, near the Russian border in the Troms region, could be viewed as an attack, the MarineTimes reported.

Last week, the Russian Embassy in Norway warned of consequences for the latest U.S. troop buildup, and on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized Norway for its expanded military cooperation with Washington.

A Marine with Marine Rotational Force-Europe 18.1 sends live rounds down range while conducting a squad attack during winter warfare training at Haltdalen Training Center, Norway, April 18, 2018. (Gunnery Sgt. Clinton Firstbrook/Marine Corps/MarineTimes)

According to Zakharova, the policy of the Norwegian government to support a doubling of Marines “in the country and deploy them near the border with Russia undermines mutual confidence.” Furthermore, she argues, the Marines’ presence in the Arctic country — a few hundred miles from the Russian border, in fact, could be an attack.

The statements come as the Norwegian government intends to add another 400 U.S. Marines to Norway before the most significant military exercise since the Cold War this fall.

However, the Marines are not permanently stationed in the country, only on a “rotational deployment,” the Norwegian defense ministry recently stressed.

“We paid attention to the reports of the Norwegian Ministry of Defense released on June 13, which contain Oslo’s agreement to double the US Marine Corps stationed on the Norwegian territory from 330 to 700 people, prolong their rotation presence there for five years, expand its footprint to the north, closer to the border with our country, and create infrastructure for warplanes at the expense of the US under the implementation of the so-called European initiative to deter Russia,” Zakharova said.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

US To Double Number Of Marines In Norway To Counter Russia, Before Massive Military Exercise

The Norwegian government intends to add another 400 U.S. Marines to Norway before the most significant military exercise since the Cold War this fall, according to the country’s Ministry of Defense.

Currently, about 330 Marines from the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines (1/6), an infantry battalion in the U.S. Marine Corps based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, make up the rotational presence for training and exercise in the country. The influx of new Marines are expected to arrive from Romania and would increase the total number to 700 for a period of five years.

The new force of Marines will be situated in Setermoen, Norway, according to the Defense Ministry.

This fall, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will be leading a massive military exercise across the entire country of Norway, an unprecedented maneuver not seen since the days of the Cold War. It seems like Washington and Norway are making the preliminary adjustments before a total of 35,000 troops from 30 different countries kick off the exercise, called Trident Juncture.

Map detailing plans for upcoming military exercise: 

Speaking at the Naval War College Tuesday, General Robert B. Neller said the approval for additional Marines in Norway cleared on Tuesday. Neller has been an advocate for sending Marines to extreme cold-weather environments for Arctic warfare training.


The government of has approved ~400 additional @USMC Marines to be posted in the at Setermoen in Troms, Norway. Norway shares a 122-mile border with Russia and the new location will be bring US Marines closer to that border. There are currently ~300 US Marines in Norway


The Marines are currently on six-month rotations to Norway, where soldiers are preparing for cold-weather warfare to counter Russia.

According to the map below, Norway shares a 122-mile border with Russia and the Setermoen region is roughly 250 miles from the border.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Norway Production, 2017 Summary and Projections

Norway Production, 2017 Summary and Projections

Average annual Norwegian wellhead C&C production dropped 1.5% in 2017, from 1709 kbpd (625 mmbbls total) to 1682 kbpd (614 mmbbls total). Wellhead gas (which includes fuel gas, flaring and gas injection) rose 2.6% from 2805 kboed to 2878 kboed. Exit rates were down 9% for oil andt 4% for gas, some of which was due to the Forties pipeline failure in December, but the decline appears to have continued in the first quarter of 2018.

Three small projects, Flyndre, Sindre and Birding, and two larger ones Gina Krog and Maria, came online. Sindre appears already to be exhausted. Flyndre is shared with UK and is declining fast. Gina Krog, discovered in 1974, is a tie back via a wellhead platform to Sleipner with nominal nameplate capacity of 60 kboed (split about evenly between oil and gas), and Maria is an oil tie-back to the Kristin semi-sub, but with water injection supplied from Heidrun, with 40 kbpd nameplate and is still ramping up after first production in Decemeber.

Norway C&C

The data shown in the charts is through February, but the NPD figures for this year have not been as complete or unequivocal as usual, so should be considered accordingly. A number of fields have no reported wellhead figures for January or February, though they do have sales reported (to fill the gaps I have prorated from these numbers based on previous complete monthly data). Additionally it looks for some reason that the sales figures for 2017 have all been doubled and the numbers for NGL are being switched from reporting in Te/d to m3/d, so there’s a bit of uncertainty.

chart/

Troll

Troll, started in 1990, is by far the largest gas producer but also, currently, the largest oil producer, at around 150 kbpd, which has been kept steady for several years. The oil comes from a thin oil rim, produced from long, horizontal wells that are being continually drilled.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

A Dire Warning From The “Doomsday Vault”

Climate change alarmists are taking full advantage of the “Sudden Stratospheric Warming” (SSW) event, which occurred above the Arctic in mid-February, as further evidence that the world’s unpredictable and sometimes chaotic weather is jeopardizing humanity’s food security.

The split of the polar vortex, otherwise known as an SSW event, shifted the Arctic airmass to most of Europe as well as Western parts of North America. Climate alarmist pointed out that massive snowstorms in Europe, dangerous weather patterns in the United States, and rain in the Arctic demonstrates how extreme weather is altering seasonal growing patterns.

Here is what Bloomberg said, “the world was upside down: it was raining in the Arctic Circle and snowing in Rome,” as explained above, the SSW event has been the primary driver of chaotic weather since mid-February.

Researchers, activists, executives and government officials gathered in Longyearbyen, a small coal-mining town on Spitsbergen Island, in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of what has become known as the “Doomsday Vault,” which is an underground bunker buried deep inside a mountain where the world stores its plant seeds from apocalyptic consequences of climate change and war, said Bloomberg.

Last month, we reported how the Norwegian government is planning to allocate 100 million kroner ($13 million) in technical improvements to enhance the facility after it sprung a leak from melting permafrost — officials warned that climate change could put the facility at risk.

“Biodiversity is the building block to develop new plants and because of climate change we’re in a terrible need to quickly develop new varieties,” said Aaslaug Marie Haga, executive director of Crop Trust, a group established to support gene banks. “The climate is changing quicker than the plants can handle.”

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

The Arctic Doomsday Seed-Vault Is Getting Some Major Upgrades

The Norwegian government is planning to allocate 100 million kroner ($13 million) in technical improvements to enhance a doomsday seed vault situated on an Arctic island, built nearly a decade ago to protect the world’s food supplies from an apocalypse, a government press release said Friday.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a secure seed bank buried deep inside a mountain on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen near Longyearbyen in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago. The underground bunker is a long-term seed storage facility, built to keep its three vaults cool for 200-years — and can survive natural or human-made disasters.

The doomsday vault serves as a storage facility for more than 850,000 seed samples, according to the Public Radio Institute, which the three vault rooms are cooled to -18 °C (-3 °F).

Cary Fowler, the founder of Svalbard Global Seed Vault, calls the facility, “the backup insurance policy for all the seed banks around the world.”

“The idea is that we want to provide fail-safe protection for the diversity of our agricultural crops, diversity that is stored in the form of seeds,” Fowler says.

“You need freezing temperatures to conserve seeds long term. So we went close to the north pole, where it’s very cold, and we built a facility inside of a mountain, which makes it also very secure. There we’re storing backup copies — seed samples of, currently, more than 850,000 different crop varieties,” he added.

Norway’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Jon Georg Dale said, “the upgrades, which we hope to begin presently, will ensure that the Svalbard Global Seed Vault can continue to offer the world’s gene banks a secure storage space in the future. It is a great and important task to safeguard all the genetic material that is crucial to global food security.”

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Future U.S. Oil Production Will Collapse Just As Quickly As It Increased

Future U.S. Oil Production Will Collapse Just As Quickly As It Increased

While U.S. oil production reached a new peak of 10.25 million barrels per day, the higher it goes, the more breathtaking will be the inevitable collapse.  Thus, as the mainstream media touts the glorious new record in U.S. production that has both surpassed its previous peak in 1970 and Saudi Arabia’s current oil production, it’s a bittersweet victory.

Why?  There are two critical reasons the current record level of U.S. oil production won’t last and is also, a house of cards.  First of all, oil production profiles tend to be somewhat symmetrical.  They rise and fall in the same manner.  While this doesn’t happen in every country or every oil field, we do see similar patterns.  For example, this similar trend is taking place in both Argentina and Norway:

Here we can see that oil production increased, peaked and declined in a similar pattern in both Argentina and Norway.  However, many countries had their domestic oil industries impacted by wars, geopolitical events, and or enhanced oil recovery techniques that have resulted in altered production profiles.  Regardless, the United States experienced a symmetrical oil production profile from 1930 to 2007:

As we can see in the chart, U.S. oil production from 1930 to 2007 increased and then declined in the same fashion.  On the other hand, the new Shale Oil Production trend is much different.  What took 23 years for U.S. oil production to double from 5 million barrels per day (mbd) in 1947 to a peak of nearly 10 mbd in 1970, was accomplished in less than a decade with the new shale oil industry.  Total U.S. oil production doubled from 5 mbd in 2009 to over 10 mbd currently.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Norway Desperately Needs Large Oil Discoveries

Norway Desperately Needs Large Oil Discoveries

Norway Rig

Thanks to costs cuts and large oil discoveries made before the oil price crash, Norway will be able to sustain its oil and gas production over the next five years. But reduced exploration drilling and lack of big discoveries in the past two years spell trouble for Western Europe’s biggest oil and gas producer after 2023, authorities fear.

Nearly two-thirds of the undiscovered resources are thought to be located in the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) directorate said last week in its review of the Norwegian Continental Shelf in 2017.

However, last year’s exploration campaign in Norway’s Arctic was a flop. Oil companies are not giving up on Barents Sea exploration, but firms and authorities alike have now lowered expectations about the possibility of a huge discovery in those areas.

“In the part of the Barents Sea that’s currently open, you’ve sort of tried the elephants — the big opportunities,” Bente Nyland, Director General of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, told Bloomberg in a recent interview. “You’re now down to the next generation in size,” Nyland noted.

The authority would be happy with any discovery of around 500 million barrels of oil, Nyland told Bloomberg.

Last year, the most promising exploration well Korpfjell—the first well drilled in the Norwegian section of a formerly disputed area between Norway and Russia, and the northernmost wildcat well drilled on the Norwegian shelf—was a disappointmentcompared to expectations that it could contain more than 250 million barrels of oil equivalent, or even 1 billion boe.

The disappointing Barents Sea campaign led to just 11 companies applying for production licenses in Norway’s 24th licensing round that offered 93 blocks in the Barents Sea and 9 blocks in the Norwegian Sea. Statoil, Aker BP, and Lundin were all applying, but the NPD said that “The applicant landscape could indicate that some parties are prioritizing exploration in mature areas this time around,” commenting on the applications.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

The Beginning Of The End For Norwegian Oil

The Beginning Of The End For Norwegian Oil

Norway

The demise of the North Sea doesn’t necessarily mean the end of Norway’s petroleum era—far from it. Still, despite significant reserves in the Barents Sea, Norway is about to embark upon a long period of structural decline as its benchmark fields inch closer to depletion and its reserves taper before our very eyes.

The average Norwegian might not even perceive the difference between an oil-rich Norway and one that is past its prime. The nation’s massive external and fiscal net position, as well as its complete energy independence thanks to hydropower, allows for great flexibility regarding future policies. Yet its oil workers must prepare for a future that is much more Arctic, smaller-scale and gas-based.

There’s ample evidence to conclude that all the sweet spots of Norway’s continental shelf have been found. The latest shelf licensing round (24) elicited a weak response, with only 11 companies applying for production licenses. There was plenty to bid for—102 blocks were up for grabs (never before did the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate offer so much, with an overwhelming majority of them in the Barents Sea), but due to their remoteness from formations deemed to be the most hydrocarbon-rich, bidders were only half as numerous as they were during the previous licensing round in 2015.

Other factors also contributed, including ongoing legal disputes whether drilling in the Arctic breaches Point 112 of Norway’s constitution (“natural resources should be managed based on long-term considerations, safeguarded for future generations”) and questions over the admissibility of drilling in Russia-disputed Svalbard waters (10 blocks) might have scared away an investor or two.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Norway and UK Production Update

Norway and UK Production Update

Short-term trends for UK oil and gas production and, to a lesser extent, Norway can be rendered a bit meaningless by seasonal impacts from summer maintenance turn-arounds and cyclic gas demand. Overall, though, both are at or approaching the tail end of the production curve, but with slight upticks in the nearer term. Barring several large and unlikely new discoveries over the coming years the industry will continue winding down in both countries, with the UK ahead of Norway, and exploration and development leading operations and finally decommissioning. However some Norwegian gas production still has a multi-decade plateau to come and there are a couple of large oil projects due on-line in each country which will run for twenty to thirty years.

norway drilling and discoveries

chart/

The usual patterns of exploration wells and discoveries following a bell curve that is matched by a later development curve (see below for the UK example and note that production is in cubic meters as it fits on a common axis better that way) is not seen so much in the Norwegian numbers. There are a number of reasons for this: 1) the wells and discoveries shown are for oil and gas and Norwegian gas development has been several years behind oil; 2) Norway really has three basins which have been explored somewhat sequentially – the North Sea, then the Norwegian Sea and then the Barents Sea; 3) the NPD includes as discoveries ‘hydrocarbon shows’ which will never be developed and skew the numbers, additionally in the chart the large number of ‘not evaluated’ finds in recent years will mostly become ‘unlikely to be developed’; 5) in the past Norwegian governments has made efforts to spread development of the resources through approval and leasing timing; 6) I think there are tax breaks in Norway that encourage exploration drilling even at low oil prices and low discovery rates; and 7) the chart shows numbers of discoveries rather than size, which would show a much clearer bell curve.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Norway’s Oil Sector Faces Existential Crisis

Norway’s Oil Sector Faces Existential Crisis

Norway

Oil companies have recently focused on frontier exploration drilling in the Barents Sea offshore in Norway, neglecting the powerhouse of the Norwegian oil industry, the North Sea.

Exploration activity in the North Sea—the most mature area of Western Europe’s biggest oil producer—is at an 11-year low this year, which is a concern for the industry’s regulator, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).

“That worries me,” NPD Director General Bente Nyland told Bloomberg in a recent interview, voicing the industry concern that without new oil discoveries, especially in mature areas with well-connected infrastructure, the decline in Norway’s oil production would be even bigger than expected.

Following a continual decline between 2001 and 2013, Norway’s crude oil production rose last year for the third year running, but according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), oil production this year would be nearly half the volume from the peak in 2000-2001.

Two huge fields discovered in 2010 and 2011, Johan Sverdrup in the North Sea, and Johan Castberg in the Barents Sea, are expected to start operations in 2019 and 2022, respectively, and will lift Norway’s oil production in the early 2020s compared to expected declines in 2018 and 2019.

But after 2025, production and activity are expected to significantly drop off unless there are new discoveries, according to oil major Statoil.

Related: Trump’s China Trip To Reap Billions In Energy Deals

Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, and NPD say:

“Production from new fields that come on stream will compensate for the decline in production from ageing fields. However, in the longer term, the level of production will depend on new discoveries being made, the development of discoveries, and the implementation of improved recovery projects on existing fields.”

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Norway Unfazed By Peak Oil Concerns

Norway Unfazed By Peak Oil Concerns

Oil

When crude oil demand will peak is anyone’s guess. Forecasts vary widely. Wood Mackenzie says that peak demand is “very real,” and sees a decline of 4 million bpd between 2020 and 2035. Other majors including BP and Total SA see peak demand as coming between 2025 and 2040, as a result of clean energy government initiatives, slower economic growth, and wider use of electric vehicles.

Not everyone is that concerned with peak oil demand, however. Recently, Norway’s Energy Minister said the biggest problem for Europe’s largest oil and gas producer is satisfying near-term demand, which is growing faster than Norwegian continental shelf operators are making discoveries.

It might sound a bit weird that Europe’s greenest country is still so big on oil and gas, but in reality, there’s nothing weird: Oil and gas exports account for a substantial portion of Norway’s export revenues, with their value for 2016 standing at $43.84 billion (350 billion crowns), accounting for 47 percent of the country’s total export value.

Norway’s biggest customer is the European Union. Together with Saudi Aramco, Norway’s state major Statoil accounted for a fifth of the EU oil market last year. Yet demand in the EU is supposed to be falling, with rigorous policies designed to encourage acceleration of the shift to renewable energy.

Indeed, according to European Union statistics, demand is on a stable downward curve thanks to greater energy use efficiency, “structural changes in the economy”, and lower demand for fuels. Still, Eurostat notes, crude oil and its derivatives account for the biggest share of energy consumption in the 28-strong union.

That’s good news for Norway, and there’s more good news from Wood Mackenzie. The energy consultancy has forecast that although in places like Europe, Japan, the United States, and even China, crude oil consumption will plateau by 2035, the demand for petrochemicals will jump considerably.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Norway’s Big Fish Story

Norway’s Big Fish Story

Decision Season

With Parliamentary elections looming, more Norwegians than usual are asking themselves the tough questions. It is now apparent that the slump in oil is not a temporary one. What will the country do now? Time for the lottery winner, after receiving the last annuity, to get a job before burning out the savings. Many are looking towards the sea, fishing and exploiting underwater natural resources. Others are looking to blast open the mountains to do the same.

However, commodity based economies, third-world in nature, are subject to mother nature’s whims, innovation, and ruthless competition.  Moreover, it creates complacency, catching the nation off guard when there is a shift in the supply curve (instead of hitting peak oil, the opposite happened). Hence, the decisions or lack thereof, made during the next four years will impact future generations. Two generations of Norwegians grew up on the delusion that their society, built on pre-socialist values and high oil prices, can endure any challenge.


The
Fund’s withdraws could accelerate amid a global financial crisis: politicians burning cash to shore up the economy and secure votes.

Burn Rate

Taking the sovereign wealth fund (The Fund) for granted, many fail to realize that the underlying investments are all pinned to the prevailing low-interest rate climate. If inflation gets out of control and rates must be pushed up to cut it off, the effect on stock and bond values could be substantial.


Norwegian GDP growth correlates to oil prices.

Currently, assuming constant tax revenues, budget and oil fund value, Norway is in great shape: able to fill the budget gap for the next 30 years. But then what?

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

 

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