The State Offshore: Petroleum, Politics, and State Intervention on the British and Norwegian Continental Shelves

Governments have been involved in the exploration, development, production and abandonment of offshore oil and gas since the early years of the century. With the 1965 discovery of oil and natural gas in the North Sea, both Great Britain and Norway faced the immense challenge of extracting an energy bonanza out of 100 meters of water and 2000 meters of rock. In this book, Brent Nelsen explains the factors behind state involvement in offshore petroleum activities. From his analysis of government workings in Great Britain and Norway, he concludes that state intervention is determined by complex interactions among government officials, economic interests, and environmental pressures.