The activities regulations § 61a

§ 61a Energy management

The operator shall have an energy management system for continuous, systematic and targeted assessment of measures that can be implemented to achieve the most energy-efficient production and operation.
The energy management system shall comply with the principles and methods specified in the Norwegian standard for energy management, NS ISO 50001:2018. The energy management system shall include a flaring strategy.
Section last changed: 01 January 2020

The operator must obtain a permit from the Norwegian Environmental Agency for petroleum activities under Chapter 3 of the Pollution Control Act (in Norwegian only). Application for permit under the Pollution Control Act is subject to Chapter 36 of the Pollution Control Regulations (in Norwegian only), and a fee is fixed for the Environmental Agency’s processing relating to applications for permits pursuant to Chapter 39 of the Pollution Control Regulations (in Norwegian only).
The regulations’ general requirements for the petroleum activities on the continental shelf apply to all operators. The permits under the Pollution Control Act will normally contain conditions that are specific and adapted to each activity. Chapter 36 of the Pollution Control Regulations (in Norwegian only) gives further provisions on the processing of permits under the Pollution Control Act. The Norwegian Environment Agency has described further expectations for the content of applications and expected processing time in the Guidelines for applications regarding offshore petroleum activities: https://www.miljodirektoratet.no/ansvarsomrader/forurensning/petroleum/for-naringsliv/soknadsveileder-petroleum/. Chapter 39 of the Pollution Control Regulations (in Norwegian only) gives provisions for fees for work with permits.
The requirement shall ensure that energy efficiency is maintained and improved continuously. An energy management system is a prerequisite for operating in accordance with BAT, cf. Section 11 second subsection of the Framework Regulations. For new fields, the energy management system, including a flaring strategy, shall be in place when the field starts production. The energy management system shall be updated regularly.
For new facilities, the requirement implies that the production facilities and the energy facilities shall be designed with the aim of achieving as energy efficient production and operation as possible throughout the lifetime of the field. For existing facilities, the requirement implies that continuous measures shall be taken to improve energy efficiency. Examples of measures are power co-operation, increased utilization of surplus energy, use of solutions that work efficiently also by changes in production volume, operational optimization and reduced flaring. NORSOK S-003 provides guidance for energy efficient design and operation of processes and energy facilities.