‘Unfortunately who they’ve chosen to sell to is definitely not ideal’
Norwegian oil firm Statoil announced it is selling 40 per cent of its Alberta oilsands portfolio — a small victory for Greenpeace activists who have pressured the company for two years to exit the oilsands.
Statoil entered Alberta’s oilsands in 2007 buying out North American Oil Sands Corp. in a $2.2-billion cash deal. It sold 40 per cent of its holdings to Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production for $2.28 billion.
The Thailand-based company has a poor environmental and human rights record in its Southeast Asia developments says a Greenpeace spokesperson.
“Unfortunately who they’ve chosen to sell to is definitely not ideal” says Jessica Wilson. “Regardless of the company pretty much all the players at the table have bad environmental and human rights track records.”
Greenpeace plans to continue pressuring Statoil and its investors to fully divest its stake in Alberta’s oilsands she adds.
“Statoil claims to be a green oil company and positions itself as a leader in renewables” says Wilson. “You can’t purport to be a leader in renewables and clean energy and at the same time be invested in one of the most destructive dirty projects in the world.”
