Økokrim, Norway’s authority for investigating and prosecuting economic and environmental crime, has imposed a record fine on Equinor following a complaint filed by the Bellona Foundation.

“Equinor has violated the law over a long period of time, and a record fine is fully warranted. The next step must be personal criminal liability,” says Bellona founder Frederic Hauge. “This case shows that Bellona is the environmental organization that gets the oil industry convicted.”

Økokrim’s decision today includes a record fine of NOK 220 million ($21.5 million) and the confiscation of NOK 500 million ($49 million) from Equinor for serious violations of the Pollution Control Act at the Mongstad oil refinery. The outcome is the result of Bellona’s work.

Bellona was the first organization to report Equinor’s Mongstad refinery to the authorities in 2020, citing oil leaks into the ground, failure to implement measures to stop the pollution, and insufficient efforts to limit environmental damage.

“We saw a company in deep systemic crisis. To us, this appeared to be systematic environmental crime marked by gross negligence,” Hauge says. “We filed the complaint because it was obvious that it was only a matter of time before a serious accident would occur at an Equinor facility.”

Bellona behind multiple complaints

In its press release, Økokrim explicitly refers to Bellona’s complaint:

“Økokrim views the case as extremely serious, as reflected in the size of the fine. The confiscation amount is the largest ever, and the fine is the second largest ever imposed on a Norwegian company. The case was reported to Økokrim by the Norwegian Environment Agency and Bellona in December 2020.”

“We see that our thorough work is delivering results,” Bellona director Frederic Hauge says. 

Bellona has been behind several major complaints against the oil industry that have resulted in record fines. The organization investigated the fire at the Melkøya facility, where Equinor was fined NOK 130 million ($12.7 million) in 2023. Bellona also reported Equinor for inadequate well control at the Gullfaks C platform, which led to a NOK 30 million fine in 2013, and for chemical discharges at the Sture terminal, resulting in a NOK 10 million ($3 million) fine the same year.

Calls for personal liability for management

“Today’s case represents serious environmental crime and also a form of economic fraud,” Hauge says. “When corporate leadership escapes without personal prosecution, it sends a dangerous signal to the entire oil industry.”

Bellona also directs strong criticism at the authorities for what it describes as long-standing failures in enforcement.

“In practice, the oil industry has been allowed to operate with a discount on violations. Until this year, the Ocean Industries Authority has not reported a single breach of the law, and fines have been embarrassingly low compared to the industry’s profits. Authorities have been far too lenient for decades,” Hauge says.

He nevertheless believes the fine marks an important turning point.

“That Equinor is now being hit with the largest oil-related fine in history and reported by the Ocean Industries Authority is a necessary and important step in the right direction. But without personal liability for management, the job is far from finished,” Hauge says.

For years, Bellona has warned about risks associated with Equinor’s operations. Through its project ‘The Oil Scandal’, Bellona has documented a comprehensive overview of serious breaches and inadequate follow-up across Equinor’s activities.