Large oil spill in Norway after burglary and vandalism

Several tons of oil have leaked out after a break-in and vandalism at a transformer station in the town of Bærum in Norway. This was reported by Statnett, which is responsible for operating the Norwegian electricity system, in a press release. According to Statnett, between 50 and 60 tons of oil have probably leaked out as a result of the leak.

A large part of the oil has been collected by tanks at the transformer station, but some has also fallen into the ground and been carried to the Sandvik River, the press release states.

- It appears that someone has cut through the fence and loosened a lid on a transformer, so oil has started to leak out, says Statnett project manager Thomas Fennefoss in a press release.

The break-in and the leak were discovered on Sunday evening, and the lid was then closed, after which the oil leak has stopped.

The clean-up work is still underway on Monday, and so-called "oil traps" have been placed in the area and "absorbents" have been placed to soak up the oil.

- Right now we don't know how much oil has been spilled. We have sucked up a lot of oil and hope that the spill is limited, says Thomas Fennefoss.

jel /ritzau/