My oil and gas adventure
Johnny Søtrup
50
FIRST
“When things go
well forFIRST
the oil and gas
industry, things
go well for Esbjerg.”
50
Position: Mayor
Company: Esbjerg County Council
What is your connection to the oil and gas industry?
I have a variety of points of contact with the industry, which in their own way contribute to the overall picture
of an important and fascinating industry. For many years, my closest connection to daily operation has been in
my role of board member of the Port of Esbjerg. Good, close cooperation with the trade organisation, Oil Gas
Denmark, ensures that I am informed about national and local industry matters. On an international level,
Esbjerg is a member of the World Energy Cities Partnership, a global network of oil and gas cities. Through
the network, we work to cooperate and safeguard the interests of energy cities worldwide. I have also had the
pleasure of visiting many of the businesses in Esbjerg in person where I have experienced how tasks and
challenges are managed first hand.
What does the oil and gas industry mean to you?
When things go well for the oil and gas industry, things go well for Esbjerg. The cluster of specialised
businesses in Esbjerg has meant that we are now recognised as Denmark’s Energy Metropolis. This status has
been achieved thanks to the centring of national offshore oil, gas and wind activities in Esbjerg. The increased
employment and number of jobs this brings to the region is obviously important to my role as mayor.
How would you describe the first 50 years of the oil and gas history in Denmark?
It has been an amazing journey for Denmark and Esbjerg. It has generated tremendous profits for the treasury
that would not otherwise have been created. The number of jobs created by oil and gas runs into the tens of
thousands, and I would like to emphasise that the oil and gas industry is not on its death bed yet. There are still
resources out there waiting to be extracted, meaning that we still have many more decades to come where we
can benefit from the natural occurrence of oil and gas in the North Sea.