Whilst Sweden and Denmark have emergency reserves for 90 days, the oil nation Norway has only a 20-day fuel supply.

The Progress Party (FrP) is reacting to this and is now demanding a national collective effort to strengthen fuel preparedness. It is FrP’s spokesmen on energy and environmental policy, Kristoffer Sivertsen and Morten Stordalen, who are taking the initiative. They believe the situation is serious, especially after the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz demonstrated how vulnerable Norway is to disruptions in international oil and fuel transport.

– It is a gigantic paradox that Norway, as a major oil producer, is unable to produce enough domestically and has such low preparedness, Sivertsen says to Nationen.

Norway imports around 80 per cent of the diesel and 75 per cent of the petrol we use, despite being one of Europe’s largest oil and gas producers. Remarkably, the Mongstad refinery also has limited capacity to increase production of diesel and aviation fuel in the short term.

FrP is now putting forward a proposal in the Storting requesting that the government map out and designate locations for new fuel storage facilities. Among other things, the party wishes to develop a plan for the establishment of emergency reserves throughout the country, and to lease existing facilities, including at Slagentangen, where the tanks are still standing.

The FrP duo are strongly critical that the government has permitted the dismantling of storage tanks at Slagentangen at the same time as the international situation is unsettled.

– It is madness to sit and watch tanks being dismantled when we know how unsettled the world is, Sivertsen says to the newspaper.

They emphasise that Norway risks running out of fuel within only a few weeks should supplies from abroad cease. The Centre Party (Sp) has also previously spoken of increasing storage capacity to 90 days.

The Energy Committee is to issue its recommendation on the proposal on 12 May.