Thank you very much! It is a great pleasure for me to receive this report today. Last autumn, my ministry asked the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate to make a comprehensive analysis of prospects for enhanced oil recovery using CO ₂ on the Norwegian continental shelf, in cooperation with operators on the NSC.

We have been waiting impatiently for the results of this study, and I hope it will give us a clear view of how the Petroleum Directorate consider the situation of today and give us some answers to the key question: What are the opportunities and what are the challenges associated with injecting CO ₂ for EOR* purposes offshore in Norway?

I will now bring this report back with me, and relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Environment will now look closely into the analysis and conclusions presented by the Directorate. This report will constitute an important basis for the Government's further evaluations regarding CO ₂ for enhanced oil recovery. The Government will report back to Parliament on this important issue in the 2006 budget.

I am confident that the report will provide a solid foundation for our recommendations.

Gunnar Berge – I look forward to hearing your presentation.

(* EOR = enhanced oil recovery)