High North News - News, analysis and debate about politics and business in the North

Raffaele Fitto, EU-kommisjonens visepresident for samhold og reformer, er nå i Finland på invitasjon fra den finske statsministeren Petteri Orpo. Italienske Fitto (Fdl) tiltrådte embetet i november, og har ansvar for å sikre at unionen fortsetter å støtte reformer og investeringer som direkte bidrar til å styrke europeisk vekst. (Foto: Aurore Martignoni/EU; Lauri Heikkinen/Finlands regjering)

Finland Welcomes New EU Commissioner: Focus On Regions Bordering Russia

The European Commission Executive Vice-President, Raffaele Fitto, is visiting Finland this week. "We will discuss the situation in Eastern and Northern Finland and ways to boost vitality," says Petteri Orpo, the Finnish Prime Minister.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System

Trump Signs Order to Maximize Resource Development in Alaska

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aiming to boost Alaska's oil, gas, and other natural resource development. Alaska is still a high-risk, high-cost prospect for exploration in untouched areas, a longtime oil and gas journalist points out.

Notices

POLITICS / 22.01.2025

Police Cooperation Between Finland and Sweden Into Force in February

The Finnish Government has issued a decree bringing into force the…

POLITICS / 22.01.2025

Trump wants to change name of North America's tallest peak in Alaska

On Monday, US President Donald Trump vowed to rename North America's…

POLITICS / 22.01.2025

US sanctions Russia's biggest lithium mine

The Polar Lithium project in the Kola Peninsula is included in the new US…

POLITICS / 13.01.2025

Denmark and Greenland agree on solution for parenting test

The Danish government and the Greenlandic government have agreed on a…

"The Norwegian Government 'Greenwashes' the Norwegian Svalbard Policy"

Bodø (High North News): Svalbard Researcher Tiril Vold Hansen wants her research to clarify to the Svalbard inhabitants how the government thinks and prioritizes when implementing new regulations for the archipelago. "Norwegian authorities prefer local frustration over an international Svalbard debate," she says.

Sébastien Lecornu er torsdag på sitt første besøk i Norge som Frankrikes forsvarsminister. Her mottas han av sin norske motpart Bjørn Arild Gram og Forsvaret ved Akershus festning. (Foto: Synne Kvam/Forsvarsdepartementet)

Norway and France Forge Closer Defense Ties With an View to the High North

Norway and France recently signed a letter of intent on enhanced defense cooperation, emphasizing the significance of situational awareness and presence in the High North. "Protecting the maritime areas in Northern Europe is the key to European security," says the French minister of defense.

©Isar Aerospace_Launch site at at Andøya Spaceport.

Norway and the US Strengthens Space Cooperation in the High North

A new US-Norway agreement facilitates American commercial space launches from Andøya Spaceport in Northern Norway. "A major step toward making Andøya one of the world’s most attractive locations for satellite launches," says the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry.

High North News investigates: The Russian Gas Flow

EU flag

Ten EU Member States Urge Ban on Russian Liquefied Natural Gas Ramping Up Pressure on Yamal LNG

A coalition of ten EU member states is urging Brussels to take steps to ban or at a…

Also see

Cargo Shipment from Belgium to Russia Highlights Continued Flow of LNG Technology from EU

Russian Arctic LNG Carrier Out of Commission Following Maintenance Struggles, Underscores Key Role of EU Yards

Russian Sovcomflot to Operate Sanctioned Zvezda Arc7 LNG Carrier for Arctic LNG 2

Wison New Energies’ Zhoushan yard

U.S. Sanctions Catch Up to Chinese Supplier Wison for Illicit Delivery of a Power Plant to Arctic LNG 2

As part of a massive sanctions package days before the end of the Biden…

Höegh Esperanza floating LNG import ship at Germany’s Wilhelmshaven LNG terminal.

EU Imports More Russian LNG in 2024 Than Ever Before, Mostly From Arctic

While the EU’s imports of liquefied natural gas from around the world decreased by 20…

putin at belokamenka

Exclusive: Senior Novatek Official Traveled to Washington DC For Discussions on Arctic LNG Sanctions

Could the upcoming Trump U.S. administration offer an opportunity to reverse or…

Arne O. Holm says

Arne O. Holm

Total Preparedness: When Regional Policy Overrules Security Policy in the North

Comment: Expensive and inadequate. That is how the Norwegian Minister of Health, Jan Christian Vestre, described his meeting with the Eastern Finnmark infrastructure the other day. Yet, that is only one of the challenges not addressed in the total preparedness white paper recently presented by his own government.

Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd, administrerende direktør i Byggföretagen og tidligere infrastrukturminister

Former Swedish Minister to Mediate in Iron Ore Line Matter

The crucial Iron Ore Line is characterized by low capacity and significant pressure from several actors. Now, the former Swedish Minister of Infrastructure is to find compromises among those who utilize the railway line between Norway and Sweden in the north.

EU flag

Ten EU Member States Urge Ban on Russian Liquefied Natural Gas Ramping Up Pressure on Yamal LNG

A coalition of ten EU member states is urging Brussels to take steps to ban or at a minimum begin phasing out Russian liquefied natural gas imports. Pressure on Russian oil and gas is at an all time high following U.S. sanctions against dozens of Arctic tankers and two LNG plants.

NorSat-4 er den femte i rekken av norske satellitter for havovervåkning, og skal nå også bidra til å demonstrere ny teknologi i verdensrommet. (Illustrasjon: FFI)

New Microsatellite Launched to Strengthen Norwegian Ocean Surveillance

The microsatellite NorSat-4 is now orbiting the Earth to enhance Norway’s maritime situational awareness. “It is of extra significance in today's geopolitical climate," says the Norwegian Coastal Administration's Director General.

Trans-Alaska oil Pipeline

Alaska Looking to Re-Enter Global LNG Market with Massive $44bn Project

The proposed Alaska LNG project has taken its next hurdle with the signing of a development agreement. The $44bn project would see Alaska export up to 20m tonnes of LNG per year starting in 2031.

Regjeringen har landet på Tromsø sentrum som lokasjon for et nybygg til Norges arktiske universitetsmuseum. (Foto: Bernt Rostad)

Norway’s Arctic University Museum to Be Located in Tromsø City Centre

"This is the starting point for a brand new museum building which will have great significance for Tromsø as a knowledge city," says Oddmund Hoel, Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education.

Arne O. Holm says

Arne O. Holm

The Only Safe Bet Is That Trump Will Destroy Any Possibility of an Independent Greenland

Comment: It is correct that Denmark has practiced a brutal policy toward the indigenous people of Greenland. And that the island is rich in resources. But that is not why Donald Trump threatens to take over Greenland with force—quite the contrary.

Walrus

'Walrus Detectives' Help Map Out the Atlantic Walrus

Since 2021, WWF and the British Antarctic Survey have engaged so-called 'Walrus Detectives'. Through the research project Walrus From Space, the public can help provide scientists with vital data on walrus populations. Over 37,000 detectives have contributed so far.

Wison New Energies’ Zhoushan yard

U.S. Sanctions Catch Up to Chinese Supplier Wison for Illicit Delivery of a Power Plant to Arctic LNG 2

As part of a massive sanctions package days before the end of the Biden administration, the U.S. blocked a key Chinese technology provider, Zhoushan Wison Offshore and Marine. The company had been the focus of a HNN investigation in October 2024.

Donald Trump

Let’s Stop Donald Trump’s Ego and Power Trip All Together - Right Now!

Op-Ed: "There are two ways Canada, Greenland and Denmark, Panama and many other countries can respond to Donald Trump's threats of military invasion and economic pressure to force the annexation of allied countries: 1) Boycott the US as a travel destination during his second presidency, and 2) Selling back US currency as a means of protest".

Møte i Arktisk råd

Targeting Black Carbon and Methane at the Arctic Council

Op-ed: The Clean Arctic Alliance is calling for the Arctic Council, under Norway’s leadership, to adopt new ambitious targets that will reduce emissions of black carbon and methane, writes Dr. Sian Prior and Andrew Dumbrille in this op-ed.

Donald Trump

How Nuuk and Copenhagen Counter Trump Statements About Taking Greenland With Force

The US President-elect Donald Trump is open to using radical means to gain control over Greenland. Greenlandic power of definition applies here, responds the leaders in Nuuk, supported by Copenhagen.

Alaska's governor Mike Dunleavy (R)

No bids in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil lease sale

The oil and gas lease sale for Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge draws no bids from oil companies. “There are some places too special to put at risk," says Acting Interior Deputy. Meanwhile, the U.S. state of Alaska has filed a complaint over restrictions in the sale set by the federal government.