Norway: Equinor fined €60M for oilspills and pollution at its Mongstad refinery between 2016 and 2021

Equinor Økokrim has been accused of serious breaches of the Norwegian Pollution Control Act, as announced by the Norwegian Economic and Environmental Crime Agency on 16/12/2025. The agency has imposed a penalty of 720 M kroner (€60 M) on the company.

" The company is receiving this penalty notice because it has neglected its duty to ensure proper maintenance of the facility for decades," said prosecutor Maria Bache Dahl.

The spills and emissions covered by the penalty notice took place at the Mongstad refinery between 2016 and 2021, including the emission of 40 tonnes of gas containing high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide. "This emission could have killed several employees at the facility. Økokrim believes that it was only by luck that no one was injured," says Maria Bache Dahl. In addition, "countless" oil spills, linked to inadequate maintenance, occurred at sea and in the ground.

The penalty includes a fine of NOK 220 M (€18.5 M) as well as a forfeiture of NOK 500 M (€42 M), "reflecting the costs saved by inadequate maintenance".

" The case illustrates how environmental crime is…