Norwegian company Equinor has appointed Jens Okland as acting head of its New Energy Solutions business, which includes renewables, as part of its response to the coronavirus.
Current head of the NES unit Pal Eitrheim (pictured, left) is to take charge of a temporary corporate project to handle both short-term immediate response and long-term implications of the coronavirus and fall in oil prices, the company said.
Okland (pictured, right) will lead the NES business, while Eitrheim is involved with the new project.
Equinor said the project will be established and structured over the coming days, with Eitrheim reporting to chief executive Eldar Saetre.
“An already working internal project focusing on immediate response and short-term business continuity issues will be incorporated into the new corporate project,” the company said.
“There will be uncertainty and volatility going forward, and Equinor will continuously evaluate measures to respond,” it added.
Saetre said: “These are challenging times for us all, as individuals, families, societies and companies.
“We are facing uncertainty, many are afraid for their own and their loved one’s health, others of losing their jobs and concerned for their future.
“Our response must be to do our utmost to limit the spread of the virus and to take care of safety and health.
“At the same time, we must make every effort to keep operations and business going and to produce and deliver the energy the world needs.
“The outbreak of the coronavirus and the fall in commodity prices will impact Equinor for a long time.
“We are a robust company with a strong balance sheet, and we are now really benefitting from the strong improvements in recent years.
“But it will be necessary to take forceful action to reduce risk, protect our business and operations and to ensure the long-term robustness of our company.”