| dc.description.abstract | Climate policies have shifted how Norwegian energy companies operate, with climate change mitigation, adaptation and sustainability playing a more central role in daily operations and strategy. Renewable energy sources have emerged in the context of climate change and will continue to persist in the future. Due to the national income from conventional oil and gas production, the Norwegian government is flexible and adaptable to the energy transition. A future of renewable energy sources will help circumvent GHG emissions and biodiversity loss and increase energy security for Norway.
The motivation for the thesis has been developed through the increased focus on sustainability and personal interest in the energy sector. Existing literature delves into the various threats that conventional oil and gas production poses to the climate and how the great responsibility of reversing the environmental effects lies on the sector. Indicators from the EU present that Norway is a great candidate to lead the transitional journey toward net zero, making it a match to explore further in this thesis.
This master thesis aims to identify how the measures implemented by the Norwegian government impact the oil and gas and renewable energy companies and how it has effect on investments and long-term strategies. The thesis is looking to identify this by answering the research question:
“What are the effects of climate-related regulatory policies on the investment behavior of Norwegian energy companies?”.
The thesis will focus on content analysis with a grounded theory approach, conducting in-depth interviews with informants having substantial responsibilities within the scope of the thesis. Based on various interviews from different companies, the aim is to critically discuss and compare interviews to industry reports and prior literature. Finally, shedding light on improvements and further research, as well as if the implications discovered during this thesis's writing might impact investments in the Norwegian energy sector. | |
