Rogaland: From oil region to innovation engine

'When supplier companies in Rogaland are tasked with solving a problem, they get straight to work, develop new solutions, test them in practice and deliver the product quickly,' says Kari Holmefjord Vervik, head of our regional office in Rogaland.

Plastic recycling with Eagle Technology, carbon credits with Trefadder and smarter electric vehicle charging with Amina Charging are just some of the ideas that have emerged here.

She leads a dedicated team of 20 who work closely with the region's diverse business community. This broad mix of industries creates significant opportunities for the cross-sector collaboration required in many of the new priority areas.

Rogaland is 'Norway in miniature', where 50 years of oil and gas activity have built strong expertise in large-scale project management, mechanical engineering, robotics, automation, health, safety and the environment (HSE), and IT. This strong industrial heritage, combined with the region's long traditions in agriculture and ocean-based industries, provides fertile ground for developing innovative industries such as offshore wind, electrification, energy management, the circular economy and new aquaculture technology. This attracts skilled workers, entrepreneurs and capital from abroad, giving the region a distinctly international outlook.

‘This combination of unique core expertise, 50 years of a petroleum industry willing to invest, and a strong culture of innovation makes the region attractive to both Norwegian and international companies looking to develop and test new technology,’ says Holmefjord Vervik.

METCentre on Karmøy is a good example of the region's international appeal. It is a world-leading test centre for floating offshore wind technology, where global companies come to test their innovative solutions.

Most of the projects we work on at our Rogaland office today have a clear environmental focus, centred on sustainable solutions.

‘The circular economy has become an important focus area in Rogaland, often driven by companies in the region applying knowledge and technology from the oil and gas sector to new industries,’ says Holmefjord Vervik.

The Stavanger-based company Eagle Technology is a prime example of this. Eagle, known for its drilling waste management solutions for the oil and gas industry and with major customers such as Equinor, Shell and Petrobras, is now investing in Vixla, a technology that uses pyrolysis to recycle plastic. Eagle has used this method at large processing plants in the oil industry for many years.

‘Vixla is our patented plastic recycling technology. So far, our tests have achieved a recycling rate of 87 per cent, which would make it a market leader in plastic recycling,’ says Roy Moberg, CEO of Eagle Technology.

The company is a strong example of the transformation taking place across industry in the Rogaland region.

‘We take proven technology from the oil and gas industry and combine it with the expertise of our process and chemical engineers to create new solutions – in our case, for plastics recycling,’ Moberg explains.

He describes how the technology and capacity are being developed step by step.

‘We started by building small laboratory test units, then used our own capital to build a pilot. Now, drawing on this experience, we are moving forward with support from Innovation Norway to build a full-scale demonstration facility for plastics recycling,’ he says.

The demonstration facility is not a commercial facility. Eagle will use it for further testing, to demonstrate the technology to customers and to train its own operators and those of its customers. Our support has been valuable to Eagle in several ways – and indispensable.

With a global presence spanning Norway, Bosnia, Vietnam and Brazil, the company has ambitious plans for this initiative.

‘There is strong international interest. We have received enquiries from every continent, and with good results from our demonstration plant, we see significant potential for global exports,’ says Moberg.

Figures from the Norwegian Industrial Property Office confirm Rogaland's position as Norway's leading 'inventor region', showing that the region has ranked among the country's leaders in developing new solutions for many years. In 2020, Rogaland accounted for 17% of all patent applications in Norway.

Haugesund-based company Trefadder grew out of a bright idea to use nature's own method for effective CO2 removal and storage – converting it into verified carbon credits through Norwegian 'climate forests'.

‘We are the only Norwegian company exporting carbon credits, and we have grown significantly since launching Norway’s first climate forest in 2019. We now have more than 200 customers across almost every continent,’ says Anders Kristiansen, founder and CEO of Trefadder.

The carbon credits involve CO2 capture through carbon storage in forests, where trees absorb CO2 and convert it into carbon that is stored in the biomass.

– Trefadder offers a reliable Norwegian 'premium brand' in a market characterised by a lack of traceability and documentation. We help companies offset residual emissions that cannot currently be reduced for technological or financial reasons. Choosing the right carbon credits has become an important part of companies' strategic risk management and brand building, says Trefadder founder and CEO Anders Kristiansen, adding:

– This creates local jobs, contributes to value creation and makes an important contribution to a better climate. It’s the best of all worlds.

Kristiansen believes that carbon credits based on carbon capture in Norwegian forests could become a major new export industry for Norway, just as salmon farming has since the 1970s.

‘We help businesses achieve their climate targets while building a new export industry that could become important for Norway in the post-oil era. That is why we have also received approval from Innovation Norway to use the Made in Norway label, as part of our ambition to make Norway a global carbon store. This gives us tremendous momentum in international markets,’ says Kristiansen.

Read more about how the Made in Norway label can strengthen your competitiveness

Our support has been crucial at several stages.

‘Innovation Norway provided us with a crucial startup loan that kept us afloat until we secured investors. We then won a place on the ITSA accelerator programme in Stavanger, which brought in more investors, while our participation in the Fauna programme helped us attract larger customers,’ says Kristiansen.

Our NOK 3.5 million growth guarantee loan marked a turning point for Trefadder, tripling the funding the company had raised up to that point.

Rogaland's strong energy heritage is now driving a wave of new companies developing the green technologies of tomorrow. Stavanger-based Amina charging has quickly become a key player in Europe's rapidly growing EV charging market. The company plays a central role in addressing one of the major challenges of the future – the electrification of Europe.

– The growing share of solar and wind power in Europe’s energy mix makes the electricity supply less stable, as these sources only generate power when the sun shines or the wind blows. Scheduled charging and chargers with reserve capacity will therefore be crucial for managing these fluctuations and ensuring a stable electricity supply across the continent.

– We want to make charging simple and seamless for you – while we handle the complexity behind the scenes, says Fredrik Lima, CEO of Amina.

Amina's technology enables third-party providers to manage charging based on available power, electricity prices and other factors.

‘As the share of renewable energy in the energy mix grows, the power supply becomes more variable. Our solution enables chargers to automatically recognise and adapt to conditions in the power grid. This is becoming increasingly important as more renewable energy enters the system,’ says Lima.

Amina recently received a NOK 20 million loan to grow using its existing technology, as well as a NOK 16 million grant from us through the Environmental Technology Scheme to develop a new charging platform.

Lima adds:

– The application process was demanding, and we had to make a strong case for the project all the way to the highest level at Innovation Norway. It was reassuring that an independent panel of four external experts assessed and confirmed the project's potential.

Businesses in Rogaland have a tradition of standing on their own two feet. Our regional director is impressed by the energy and drive of people in Rogaland, but still has this advice:

– We can help you achieve even greater success! We have offices in more than 20 countries, giving you access to market insights, government contacts and local business networks that can help you realise your full potential. If you are an established company planning to enter new markets or develop innovative products, get in touch with us early in the process!

Together with our global network, banks and one of Eksfin's two regional offices in Stavanger, we can help you reduce risk, identify market opportunities and create value – both locally and internationally.