19. May 20259. December 2025 by olekvadsheim

Establishing a foothold in Bergen

BY OLE KVADSHEIM, NORWEGIAN PETROLEUM MUSEUM

The location of Gullfaks placed Bergen at the heart of petroleum operations. Statoil was the first among oil companies to open an operational department in the region. Throughout the 1980s, several oil companies and suppliers established operations in Sandsli, located 17 kilometres outside Bergen city centre. Official opening of the Statoil office at Sandsli took place at November 21. 1984.

— Statoil's administration centre under construction at Sandsli, Bergen. Photo: Lars Gunnar Dahle/Equinor

In 1979, Statoil’s drilling department became the company’s first unit to be relocated from Stavanger to another part of the country—Ågotnes, west of Bergen. In 1982, the operational organisation for Gullfaks was also moved to Bergen, which over the course of the decade developed into an increasingly important oil city. In the autumn of 1984, Statoil moved into new office facilities in Sandsli. In the years that followed, other companies followed suit.

Ågotnes, west of Bergen, where Statoil's drilling department was relocated in 1979. Photo: Leif Berge/Equinor

Politically driven decentralisation

The authorities had a clear policy goal of spreading petroleum-related activity along the Norwegian coastline. One part of this strategy was to ensure that offshore field locations influenced where operational bases would be established, in order to create regional ripple effects.[REMOVE]Fotnote: Lerøen, B. V. (2006). 34/10 Olje på norsk – en historie om dristighet. Statoil, 76. In the fifth licensing round, oil companies were required to propose plans for regional offices.[REMOVE]Fotnote: Gjerde, Kristin Øye. “Oljebyer i Norge” i Norsk oljemuseums årbok (2011). Bergen offered an ideal location, with proximity to both the Gullfaks and Oseberg fields—and eventually to the Troll field, which would also be operated from Bergen.[REMOVE]Fotnote: Statoil. (1990, november). Gullfaks – glimt fra historien om et helnorsk oljefelt. Den norske stats oljeselskap a.s. Stavanger. Side 36. https://www.nb.no/items/4f4ceb82f9be24c64834e1a04a0a7ca1?page=0&searchText=helnorsk

Another tool available to the government was the “Establishment Act” (etableringsloven), which required companies to obtain permission from the Ministry of Local Government before launching major business developments.

At the municipal level, Bergen actively pursued oil-related jobs. In connection with Gullfaks, the city’s land development companies invested NOK 50–60 million in office infrastructure, and the permitting process moved quickly. The municipality also facilitated the transition by building housing and schools adapted for the children of foreign workers.[REMOVE]Fotnote: NRK. (1987, 25. mars). I nervesenteret for Gullfaks og Oseberg [Radioprogram]. Sandsli, Bergen.

Challenges of rapid expansion

Statoil’s expanding presence in the Bergen region was not without challenges. Rapid growth in such a capital-intensive sector risked driving up local prices and wages—potentially harming other industries and imposing adjustment costs on the wider community.

In a 1983 interview with Statoil’s internal magazine Status, Jakob Bleie, then Production Director for Gullfaks operations, said the company would take precautions to avoid driving up housing prices excessively. He also noted that most new hires came from other oil companies and that Statoil would offer only the level of wages necessary to attract the required talent—not more.[REMOVE]

Jakob Bleie outside Statoil's offices in Solheimsgaten. Photo: Equinor.

Fotnote: Statoil. (1990, november). Gullfaks – glimt fra historien om et helnorsk oljefelt. Den norske stats oljeselskap a.s. Stavanger. Side 36. https://www.nb.no/items/4f4ceb82f9be24c64834e1a04a0a7ca1?page=0&searchText=helnorsk