So far, Nordea has refused to provide loans to companies that want to extract oil in the Arctic. But in March, the bank turned the tables and is now making capital available to oil companies. This is according to Danwatch, which has spoken to Anja Hannerz, head of sustainability at Nordea.
She explains the change in attitude by saying that if Europe is to get rid of Russian gas and oil, it must necessarily be sourced elsewhere.
- It is not an easy decision, but we believe it is the most responsible thing to do in the current geopolitical environment, she says.
Nordea already has a number of energy companies in its customer base. A report, which is backed by the NGO Rainforest Alliance Network, among others, shows that Nordea has lent 39 billion kroner to fossil fuel companies from 2021 to 2024.
The new need for financing comes from Norway, where the authorities have opened up to grant permission to search for new oil and gas fields in a large area of the Barents Sea.
According to Danwatch, several of Nordea's customers have applied for permission to examine the subsoil in the fields in question for possible pockets of oil and gas that can be pulled up for exploitation.
/ritzau/
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