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Tag: agreement

  • Call for SCF applications

    Call for SCF applications

    Earth globe, polar view

    Science Cooperation Fund – the Agreement between Iceland and Norway to promote the Arctic studies and help with students and staff mobility between those two Arctic countries, encourages to apply for exchange scholarships and staff mobility grants before tomorrow´s deadline.

    The purpose of the fund is to encourage scientific cooperation between higher education institutions, research organizations and research groups in Norway and Iceland in the field of Arctic science or other activities as decided by the joint Icelandic-Norwegian Committee.

    Grants are awarded for travel and accommodation cost in relation to the participation of individuals or groups in scientific conferences and/or joint meetings in Norway and Iceland.

    In this context Arctic science encompasses research, monitoring, education and dissemination of knowledge that relate to both distinctive and common denominators of nature, culture, economy and history of the Arctic region with a bilateral and/or international perspective.

    Grants will be awarded according to lump sums for travel and subsistence costs.

    For more information, please visit the Science Cooperation Fund website.

  • China to drill in Barents Sea

    China to drill in Barents Sea

    China on the map

    The Chinese National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) strikes a deal with Rosneft over the exploration of three fields in the Barents and Pechora Seas.

    As reported by the Barents Observer, the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) struck a deal with Rosneft over the exploration of three fields in the Barents and Pechora Seas.

    The Agreement was signed during the last week’s visit to Russia, paid by the Chinese President – Xi Jinping. The Agreement included Zapadno-Prinovozemelsky structure in the Barents Sea and the Yuzhno-Russky and Medynsko-Varandeysky structures in the Pechora Sea.

    With the cooperation in place, the CNPC becomes Rosneft’s third foreign partner in the Barents Sea. From before, agreements have been signed with Eni and Statoil. In addition, Rosneft has a comprehensive agreement with ExxonMobil in the Kara Sea.

    The Zapadno-Prinovozemelsky is among the least explored areas on the Russian shelf, and resource estimates are sparse. However, the hydrocarbon potential is believed to be considerable considering the highly perspective surrounding areas.

    China has over the last couple of years displayed a quickly increasing interest in Arctic issues. As previously reported, China could already by year 2020 send as much as 15 percent of its international trade through Arctic waters.

    Chinare 5 in northern Iceland during the summer of 2012

    The country is also bidding for a permanent observer status in the Arctic Council. In the summer of 2012, the country sent its icebreaker “Xue Long” (Snow Dragon) in a historic mission along the Northern Sea Route and made an attempt to reach the North Pole.

    Rosneft was one of the last vertically integrated oil companies to emerge from the reorganization and large-scale privatization of Russia’s oil industry in the years following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

    Today its plans are about to reach implementation of a number of hydrocarbon exploration and development projects in Russia, the United States and other countries, as well as to set up a joint Arctic Research Center (ARC) in St. Petersburg.

    Source

    Barents Observer

  • Agreement to sign oil spill response treaty

    Agreement to sign oil spill response treaty

    Össur signed the agreement

    The eight member states of the Arctic Council have agreed to sign a binding treaty concerning response for potential oil spills in the Arctic.

    This was agreed yesterday in a meeting in Reykjavík, Iceland.

    The joint defense and response agreement will be developed over the coming months.

    The specific meeting about this issue in Reykjavík saw 70 representatives talk about the issue, with the conclusion of agreeing to sign a binding agreement, with the joint responsibilities.

    The cooperation will amongst other things, touch on information sharing and response exercises. The countries already have various equipment and knowledge on the issue, but it might be different between countries how well they are prepared.

    “This is a huge agreement,” foreign minister of Iceland, Össur Skarphéðinsson, told Fréttablaðið newspaper.

    “This agreement is historic and a very important step for us, because this agreement has been one of the cornerstones of Iceland’s Arctic policy in recent years and I especially welcome that the agreement is signed in Reykjavík,” he added.

    Source

    Fréttablaðið

  • Russia and Iceland sign agreement

    Iceland and Russia have signed a cooperation agenda regarding geothermal energy.

    The agreement was signed yesterday by Icelandic Minister of Industry Energy and Tourism, Katrín Júlíusdóttir, and Sergey Shmatko, the Minister of Energy in Russia.

    Russia wants to utilize geothermal energy better and Iceland seeks new ways to utilize the vast geothermal resources in the country.

    Both countries believe they will gain significantly from the cooperation.

    An energy summit in Moscow this week saw Ms. Júlíusdóttir address geothermal matters in Iceland and the forthcoming cooperation with Russia.

    As Arctic Portal has reported, Iceland has looked to Russia for more cooperation and the agreement signed this week was a step in that direction.
    Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Iceland