OMV still operates an oil field in the Barents Sea in Arctic waters. The Wisting discoveries in the Hoop oil field are located about 310 kilometers offshore and OMV is holding 25% - drilling is currently underwayat six wells.
Problematic are the severe conditions in the Arctic winter, as well as the proximity to a nature reserve. The drilling site is located at 73 degrees north latitude and only about 180 kilometers southeast of the Bear Island nature reserve. This is home to one of the largest bird colonies in the northern hemisphere, as well as numerous mammals such as whales and various seal species in the surrounding waters. Polar bears can also be found here, mainly in the winter months when they arrive on the island via frozen pack ice. The island owes its name - Bjørnøya in Norwegian - to an encounter between its explorers, led by the Dutch navigator Willem Barents, and a polar bear in 1596. The rich fish stocks form the food basis for the many birds and mammals that live on Bear Island. According to calculations by the Norwegian oil company Statoil, oil leaking in the Hoop field could reach the protected area within a week - with catastrophic consequences for the animals of Bear Island, among others.
OMV's Arctic drilling is a risk to nature and the climate. If an accident happens while drilling in Arctic waters, it is almost impossible to contain the spread of an oil spill due to the remoteness of the oil field, low temperatures and harsh weather conditions in the Arctic. In addition, up to 500 million barrels of fossil resources are believed – since we are in the midst of a climate crisis, we must turn away from fossil resources, leave them in the ground, and turn our attention to other energy resources. This is the only way to reverse the continuing rise of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.