The Political Challenge to Petroleum Activity around Svalbard

Abstract

The petroleum industry has greatly increased its activities in the Arctic, and nations are eager to award new licences for further hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation. The European High North has become a sought-after region in this regard, and recent discoveries in the Hoop High fields and other areas along the edge of the maritime zone around the Svalbard archipelago have again created debate about the underlying judicial and political challenges that may spark international conflict. Gjert Lage Dyndal discusses the disputed status of the area and argues that the petroleum industry may prove central to a compromise solution.