"Proud of what we are able to deliver"

(July 17, 2007) "It has been a real delight first to be able to talk about our plans for Ormen Lange, and now to be able to report that we will soon be delivering on time and within budget, as planned. In Hydro, we are extremely proud of this," said Eivind Reiten to a packed room during the JazzGass conference in Molde.

Eivind Reiten came to Molde to talk about how the impossible can be made possible, and how the recipe for achieving it is based on good planning, and, not least, on being able to make decisions even in conditions of uncertainty.

During his talk entitled "Making the impossible possible," Eivind Reiten explained how the development of Ormen Lange has succeeded, among other things due to having an organization with "guts."

 “First and foremost, what characterizes an organization that pulls off a project like this is daring, boldness. But decisiveness, and being goal-oriented and systematic are also important. The point is that when you enter into a project of this kind, it must be planned down to the smallest detail. It must be so detailed that it is almost incomprehensible to those who are not involved. A meticulousness that is in proportion to the scope of project is required.”
 
Reiten also emphasized the importance of having an organization that contains people who do not just follow the herd. “We must have “guts” in the organization. We need people who are decision-makers – even when faced with uncertainty. Not least, people have to be able to live with the decisions that are made, and look forwards, rather than constantly asking themselves if what has been done was “right”.”
 
Local and regional cooperation was an important area of focus when explaining how the impossible could be made possible.

“I can’t leave this conference without saying that I have had many different experiences with regard to cooperation with local and regional politicians is concerned. But I have never witnessed anything as exemplary as I did in this case. The cooperation has been constructive, and this has given results. The local and regional powers-that-be have been goal-oriented and systematic. Of course I knew that people were good at these things in this part of the country – but I didn’t realize just how good.”

Project director Tom Røtjer emphasized how important it has been for the Ormen Lange development to have good neighbours.

"Excellent neighbours"
Cooperation was also a crucial point in project director Tom Røtjer’s speech at JazzGass. He particularly emphasized the unique cooperation the Ormen Lange developer has had with the local community. Not just politically, but also with the neighbourhood – that has put up with the development work for several years.

“We have had incredibly good neighbours. We have been received with open arms. There is great generosity and tolerance on the island of Gossen, and this is one of the success criteria for us,” he stressed.
 
Røtjer gave those gathered a briefing on progress in the enormous project, which is now only a few months away from completion.

“In October we will have finished the project, and on 6 October we will mark this with a big public celebration in Molde,” he concluded.