Break-In Releases Tonnes Of Oil Near Oslo

Oslo: A break-in at a decommissioned transformer station outside Oslo has released some 50 to 60 tonnes of oil, Norwegian energy operator Statnett said on Monday.

After cutting through a wire fence on Sunday, the intruders appeared to have loosened a lid inside the station, with some of the oil let out as a result reaching a nearby river, the operator added in a statement.

Booms to contain oil have been deployed in the Sandvikselva river in Baerum near Oslo, Norway on March 17, 2025 after several tons of oil leaked out following a break-in and damage to the Hamang substation this weekend. Photo by Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB / AFP

Police were investigating the break-in "but have no concrete leads that would suggest that this is a case of sabotage", a prosecutor with the Oslo police, Tone Bysting, said in a statement.

Most of the oil was collected by tanks and manholes at the site in Baerum, a suburb of the Norwegian capital.

But some had sunk into the ground and been carried down to the Sandvik river close by, Statnett said.

Representatives from a private company assisting with environmental consulting take water samples after several tons of oil leaked out in Baerum near Oslo, Norway, on March 17, 2025 following a break-in and damage to the Hamang transformer station this weekend. Photo by Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB / AFP

The fire department installed barriers in the river to contain the spillage, while Statnett and the Baerum municipality deployed absorbents to soak up the oil.

The Gamle Hamang station was taken out of service last autumn after a replacement transformer station began operations.

Norwegian intelligence agency PST told media outlet Nettavisen it had been informed of Sunday's break-in.

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