Utsira Nord gets the green light

The Bergen / Vestland news of the past 48 hours is dominated by three structural issues: Høyre's support for the Utsira Nord floating wind project, Equinor's new grounding of its AW189 helicopters, and the end of Natur og Ungdom's action against the marine tailings deposit in Førdefjorden. Added to these are a short snowfall episode on the mountain passes, a Brann defeat in the Western derby, and several local stories.

Bergen / Vestland news: Høyre opens the way for Utsira Nord

Høyre announces its support for the continuation of the Utsira Nord floating wind project. The party had requested in the spring an "external quality review" of the public support, which had suspended the government's plan and created strong uncertainty in the supplier industry. This review now appears in the state budget (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

"With this review, the Storting has finally obtained concrete and necessary clarifications on decisive questions that the government had not given us earlier," says Aleksander Stokkebø (H), energy spokesperson, to NRK (NRK Bergen / Vestland). The state's support for the project amounts to 35 billion kroner. Several media, including NTB, Stavanger Aftenblad and Haugesunds Avis, relayed the information on Friday.

The issue directly concerns Vestland, whose offshore and maritime industry is a central supplier for floating wind projects.

Offshore: Equinor grounds the AW189 helicopters again

From Monday, all Equinor offshore connections operated by AW189 are suspended. It is the group itself that is grounding the aircraft (NRK Bergen / Vestland). More than a hundred workers have reported hearing damage after flights, due to the cabin noise level.

In a survey by the Styrke organisation, 42% of those who have flown in the AW189 report hearing problems after the flight. The helicopter is new and was put into service last November. This is not the first suspension: in March, Equinor had already grounded the aircraft before mitigation measures and a resumption on 1 May. On 6 July, the safety delegates of Equinor and Vår Energi had exercised their right to stop work, grounding the AW189 (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

Environment: end of the action at Førdefjorden

Natur og Ungdom ended on Saturday 10 October an eight-day action in front of the gates and conveyors of the site, where young people chained themselves to block the marine deposit. Leader Sigrid Hoddevik Losnegård believes the message has got through. "We have shown that it is actually possible to stop the deposit here at Førdefjorden. We have also gained a lot of attention around the Supreme Court ruling," she says (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

The dispute involves Nordic Mining, which operates a mine at Engebøfjellet, in Sunnfjord, to extract rutile and garnet. The tailings are deposited in Førdefjorden. Environmental organisations have contested this deposit for years, arguing that it harms the life of the fjord. They have been hit with fines of more than 300,000 kroner (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

Weather: passing snow, rain on the way

Sunday is the last snowy day before a change. "From Tuesday, it will be milder and low-pressure system after low-pressure system will arrive during the week," says duty meteorologist Rebecca Roggentin (NRK Bergen / Vestland). Sunday and Monday remain fairly dry.

A yellow warning for snow is in effect on the mountain passes. The Western traffic control centre warns of slippery stretches between East and West, notably Hardangervidda, Haukelifjell, Hemsedalsfjellet and Filefjell. No accidents were reported (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

Sport: Viking wins, Iden takes silver

Viking won the Western derby against Brann, despite 50 minutes played with ten men. Henrik Heggheim opened the scoring after ten minutes from a Henrik Bjørdal cross, then Peter Christensen doubled the lead. Viking holds a three-point lead at the top before the Bodø/Glimt match (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

Gustav Iden won silver at the World Championships (Bergens Tidende, 11 October at 00:00).

An 8-year-old from Bergen to Voss with a ball

Håkon, 8, finished on Friday in Voss a journey that began on 2 October at Åsane Arena, in Bergen. With his father Sindre, he kicked a ball over more than 100 kilometres, via Arna, Bjørkheim, Kvitingen, Gullhorgabu, Hamlagrø, Bulken and Voss idrettspark. Spare balls were in the bag; the World Cup ball lasted the whole trip (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

📌 Local briefs

A livestock farmer in Selje, in Nordfjord, lost eight sheep in a dog attack at the beginning of September; three had to be put down and two were found dead in the water. The case is under investigation; the dog owner faces a fine and will have to compensate the farmer (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

Snus boxes are changing names (Bergens Tidende, 10 October 20:00). Some of the most popular restaurants have 500 people on the waiting list (Bergens Tidende, 10 October 19:00). The SAS mediation continues (Bergens Tidende, 10 October 19:00). An oil tanker is reported to have been hit in the Strait of Hormuz (Bergens Tidende, 10 October 19:00).

Sources: NRK Bergen / Vestland, Bergens Tidende, The Local Norway — Period: 10 October 2026 and 11 October 2026