At fewer than 500 miles from Scotland and with a resilient economy forecast to remain strong, Norway is an ideal trading environment for businesses, says Scottish Development International (SDI).
SDI – a joint venture between the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise – is working with companies across Scotland to provide assistance with exporting to Norway.
It also has an appointed oil and gas representative based in Stavanger and provides support to businesses operating in Norway as well as those with an interest in setting up there.
It says Norway ranks in the top five most important international markets for Scottish energy firms, alongside other key players such as Brazil, Russia and the Middle East.
Recent figures released by Scottish Enterprise show more than £350million of equipment and services were purchased by Norwegian businesses from Scottish oil and gas equipment suppliers in 2010 alone.
Scottish energy firms interested in establishing trade operations in Norway can also be confident about positive relations between the two countries’ governments, which are showing ongoing signs of development, said SDI.
Since oil was first discovered in the Norwegian Continental Shelf in the 1960s, a number of shared initiatives have been put in place to ensure trading conditions are used to optimum effect.
Last year, Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond put forward a proposal to build a subsea electricity cable between the two countries for what could be the first power link between Scotland and Europe.
The cable, which is designed to let electricity flow in both directions, is planned to run from Peterhead in the north-east of Scotland to Norway’s coastline.
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