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Annual Report 2010

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3Annual Report 2010

Welcome to NGI’s 2010 Annual Report

2010 was again a successful year for NGI. Our employees produced a record year and fantastic results. I am proud of what NGI achieved in 2010: an annual turnover of 320 MNOK (40 M€), an operating result of 4 % of the turnover and 35 % of the income coming from outside Norway. It is a privilege to lead an organisation like NGI, to have 220 dedicated co-workers and to welcome so many talented guest researchers. Most importantly, our employees thrive with their profession, and we have the trust of our clients. 2010 had all components of the newer global chal-lenges. Population growth, increased vulnerability, urbanisation, CO2 emission, climate change, the exploitation of natural resources, societal changes and increasing environmental concerns. Each provide new opportunities to NGI. The world is asking for quick answers to these challenges. NGI gives priority to contributing to the solution of the global challenges, and we wish to do this in close collaboration with our clients. NGI’s aim is to be recognised for its cost-effective, innovative and sustainable solutions, and that our clients can rely on us delivering on time and within budget. For NGI, contributing to our clients’ success is the key to our own success. This is why we focus on continued learning, high quality and useful geo-solutions, which in turn means higher value, lower risk and durable solutions to our clients. NGI, as a private foundation with a unique culture, wide diversity with employees from over 30 countries and assignments in 56 countries in 2010, is a different kind of organisation. These characteristics give us an advantage, which also bene fits our clients and partners. In 2010, NGI was described as an El Dorado in Oslo attracting geo-experts from around the world. We are proud of this and want to continue to be an attractive centre within the geosciences.

Welcome to our Annual Report, and thank you for your interest in NGI. We offer you a brief cross-section of our activities in 2010. We thank all our clients, partners, The Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian and foreign authorities for their continued trust and support.

Suzanne LacasseManaging Director


4 Annual Report 2010

Geo-expertise

Safe foundation on the Skarv fieldThe development of the oil and gas field Skarv off Nordland in Norway, is well underway. NGI assisted BP Norway AS with the installation of suction anchors for the production and storage vessel Skarv FPSO. The vessel is to process and store oil and gas from the Skarv field before pumping it onshore.

Slush avalanche – a threatening landslide

A slide in Vefsn in Nordland county in northern Norway on May 16th 2010, killed four people. This slush avalanche, a mix of snow, ice, water, soil and rocks, can occur when the temperature rises rapidly. NGI’s avalanche experts assisted local authorities with hazard and risk assessment to enable the safe rescue work to start quickly.

Hazard maps for flooding and landslides

On behalf of the office of the Auditor General of Norway, NGI conducted a geographic survey to determine the use of hazard maps for floods and landslides and assess extent of whether or not the authorities use the maps as intended. The number of buildings and people in exposed areas was also mapped. In addition the number of houses in hazardous zones was illustrated on maps, before and after the maps became available.

Norway’s first submerged tunnel

The construction of the E18 Bjørvika crossing through Norway’s first sub-merged tunnel began in 2005 and was completed in September 2010. NGI has been consultant on this project for the Public Roads Administration since 1995. The submerged tunnel is embedded without the use of piles, except for one transition section, where the tunnel is founded on rock.

Disposal at sea is a good solution

In 2006, the Port Authority of Oslo initiated the dredging of contaminated sediments from the inner harbour area and transferring it to a deep disposal site further out in the fjord. The Norwegian Pollution Control Authority has now concluded that disposal at sea is a good method for environmental clean-up of harbour sediments. NGI’s solution with deep-water disposal in the Oslo fjord was the result of extensive research and comparative evaluation of alternative mitigation measures.

Photo: BP Norway

Les mer på www.ngi.no

Read more on www.ngi.no


5Annual Report 2010

Photo: BP Norway

Plastic strips to monitor pollutionA newly developed sampler made of plain plastic strips was developed by NGI. The new sampler can measure the organic pollutant contents in air, water, soil and sediment. Ten grams of plastic material now replace the old method where one had to pump up and filter 10,000 litres of water.

Increased pile capacity with time

The user defined R&D project “Time effects on pile capacity” is partly funded by The Research Council of Norway (RCN). Experience show that the axial bearing capacity of piles improves with time after installation. Accounting for this will lead to significant cost savings. The goal is to docu-ment the increase in capacity and to prepare procedures and guidelines to include this increase in design.

Wind turbine expertise to Korea

Korean authorities set focus on exploiting wind generated energy. In this context, GS Engineering & Construction, one of Korea’s larger corporations, found interest in NGI’s expertise in offshore foundations and geotechnics for wind turbines. In 2010, a two-year cooperation project on development of design procedures for offshore wind turbines was initiated.

Black Shale – a threatening rock

Black Shale can become an active source of pollution when exposed to air, because it contains a variety of toxic heavy metals. NGI has led the research project “Black shale”, funded by RCN and completed in 2010. As a result of the research, the rock is now considered as contaminated material. In construction work, the developer must therefore have prepared a plan for handling such materials.

EU-funded research

Every week, the EU 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) allocates more than 100 million Euros for R&D! The goal is to solve the challenges in Europe, but also in the rest of the world. NGI is active in EU research and partici-pates, among others, in three major projects dealing with natural hazards. In FP7, NGI leads the project SafeLand, and participates in the projects MOVE and MATRIX.

Research and development





International activities

Difficult clay determines Femern crossingBy 2020, a ferry-free road and rail link between Copenhagen and Hamburg will be established. One of the challenges is the thick layers of challenging clay on the seabed. NGI conducts a series of field tests to determine if the wide strait crossing should be done via a bridge or a tunnel.

Vulnerability of natural disasters in Europe - MOVE

NGI, with its Centre of Excellence (ICG), participates in the EU research project MOVE, where 12 European partners join forces to develop improved framework and methods to assess Europe’s vulnerability to natural disasters. ICG’s task is to look into the uncertainty in vulnerability modelling, and the effect a disaster will have on society.

New geo-competence centre in India

NGI cooperates with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) in India. One of the measures to deal with natural disasters and to develop new geo- solutions for the infrastructure, is a new “National Geotechnical Facility” in Dehradun and Hyderabad. The centre, inaugurated in 2011 by Norway’s Min-ister of Research T. Aasland and India’s MST secretary, T. Ramasamy, is a cul-min ation of NGI’s involvement in India, which started more than 20 years ago.

Biochar from rice shells to reduce CO2 emission

NGI works on a climate related project in Indonesia on Biochar. Charcoal produced from rice waste under controlled conditions will bind CO2. This can reduce Indonesia’s emissions equivalent to Norway’s total CO2 emissions (close to 54 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents per year). In addition, by mixing Biochar back into the ground, soil improvement and larger crops can be achieved.

Site investigations on Shtokman

The Shtokman field in the Barents Sea is anticipated to be the world’s big-gest offshore gas field. The development is very complex, with the site very far from land, and harsh weather conditions with ice, low temperatures, high waves and strong wind. NGI participates in the soil investigations and is responsible for the reporting with results from field and laboratory testing. The contractor for NGI’s work is DOF Subsea.

Photo: Femern A/S




7Annual Report 2010

Difficult clay determines Femern crossing

Photo: Femern A/S Report of the Board of Directors 2010 The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) is a private foundation and a leading international centre for research and consulting within the geosciences, aiming at developing optimum solutions for society through its expertise on soil, rock and snow.

Strategy and qualityNGI’s basic values are trust, vitality, teamwork and integrity. NGI invests in competence enhancement, new solutions through cooperation with clients and partners, and maintain-ing NGI as an attractive, visible and dynamic organization. NGI wishes to be recognised as a geo-arena for authorities, industry and academia. Our quality policy is to offer services that meet the needs of our clients, increase cooperation with clients and partners, and increase focus on the significance of quality and quality services. NGI’s quality management system is certified accord-ing to ISO 9001 by the British Standard Institution (BSI). NGI’s environmental and soil mechanics laboratories are accredited by Norwegian Accreditation (NA).

Economical results in 2009In 2010, NGI achieved an operating result of 12 MNOK, with total income of 317 MNOK. The net income (sold hours) was 258 MNOK. Basic funding from The Research Council of Nor-way was 21 MNOK, or 6.5% of the turnover. In addition, NGI received 3.5 MNOK to cover part of its national responsibility in snow avalanche research. The remaining income came from contract assignments for industry and public agencies, both in Norway and abroad. Assignments outside Norway amounted to 115 MNOK in 2010, or 36% of the total income. The Board is confident that the accounts provide a correct picture of NGI’s assets and liabilities, financial position and results for 2010.

Personnel and work environmentIn 2010, NGI had 212 permanent employees. Eighty percent of these have university education, and 30% of the permanent employees are of non-Norwegian origin. We have employees from more than 30 countries. NGI also hosts annually 25 to 35 research scientists and post-doctoral research fellows from abroad. Salary and personnel related expenses amounted to 191 MNOK (74% of net income) in 2010.

During the period 2004-2010, 25 employees were granted sti-pends from the NGI Research Stipend Fund. The fund provides the means for sabbatical leave and PhD studies. Since 2004, NGI has granted 17 MNOK in stipends. In 2010, sick leave was 3%. NGI prioritizes increased aware-ness of work safety and preventive health policies. The work environment at NGI is good, as confirmed by the results of the employee survey done early 2011. Focus on professional com-petence, good social relationships and good work conditions are characteristics of the NGI work environment.

Geo-results and future prospectsIn 2002, NGI succeeded in the competition for a Centre of Excellence and established the International Centre for Geo-hazards (ICG). NGI established the Centre in cooperation with the Universities of Trondheim (NTNU) and Oslo (UiO), NORSAR and the Geological Survey of Norway. This opened new and exciting research and education opportunities and placed NGI in a leading position in the areas of landslides, earthquake response, tsunami, risk assessment and natural hazards in general. NGI is now applying for a new Centre of Excellence from 2013. In 2010, NGI developed further methods and solutions for the transportation sector, for constructions on land and offshore installations, and contributed to new solutions and approaches for the instrumentation and analysis of founda-tions for bridges and harbour structures, subsea technology, computational geomechanics, air-borne and marine geo-physics, the geotechnical analysis of tunnels, rock caverns and petroleum reservoirs, and the analysis and management of contaminated ground and groundwater. NGI has a good reserve of projects at the start of 2011, and is well equipped to handle market adjustments, if necessary. NGI expects 2011 to also be a successful year. NGI’s Board expresses its gratitude to NGI’s personnel for an excellent result and huge efforts in 2010. Given NGI’s expertise and reputation, the Board is optimistic for NGI’s future development.

NGI’s Board of Directors:From the left: Steinar Nordal, Arne T. Wiiger, Marie Nordby, Klaus J. Hansen, Suzanne Lacasse (Managing Director NGI), Magnus Sparrevik, Jon Frøisland (Chairman), Bente Nyland and Torbjørg Opedal (Deputy for Ingrid Sølvberg).



Key figures 2010

Turnover

166

3

84

Basic funding (RCN)Avalanche research

Other Research Council projects

Centre of Excellence, ICG

Clients from industry and public organisations

RCN = The Research Council of Norway

Markets

26

15

21

38

Oil, gas and energy

Environment Natural hazards

Building, construction and transportation

Clients

66319

11

2215

6

13

Oil, gas and energy companies

Contractors

ConsultantsState agencies

County and local authorities

RCN basic fundingRCN projects

RCN - Centre of Excellence

Other industry on land

NGI’s personnel

27

52

14

7

Others

MSc

Engineers

PhD

In percent

In percent

In percent

In percent


9Annual Report 2010

County and local authorities

Key figures 2010

Annual turnover and Number of employees

Operating result and research grants

NGI Publications

* Scientific articles and invited lectures

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Operating result NGI stipends awarded to employees



Accounts 2010

ACCOUNT STATEMENTAmounts in 1,000 NOK 2010 2009

OPERATING INCOME Oil, gas and energy 119 700 99 987 Environment 46 500 58 188 Building, construction and transportation 82 700 89 976 Natural hazards 68 012 60 981TOTAL INCOME 316 912 309 133 OPERATING EXPENDITURE Personnel costs 190 966 177 879 Direct project expenditures 58 447 67 094 Other operating expenditures 45 527 48 036 Depreciation 9 789 8 711Net loss on accounts receivable 0 0TOTAL OPERATING EXPENDITURES 304 729 301 722

OPERATING RESULT 12 183 7 411NET FINANCIAL INCOME -460 - 5 329TAX PAYABLE, NOT OFFSET 0 0 EXTRAORDINARY INCOME 0 0 TAX PAYABLE, DEFERRED -518 0 NET RESULT 12 242 2 082RETAINED EARNINGS 12 242 2 082

BALANCE SHEET 31 DECEMBER 2010 2009 (1000 NOK) (%) (1000 NOK) (%) ASSETS

FIXED ASSETS Buildings/operating assets 89 007 35 69 339 33Subscription deposits 0 0 0 0Shares 722 0 526 0Loan 3 000 2 3 000 1 Bonds 0 0 0 0TOTAL FIXED ASSETS 92 729 37 72 865 34 CURRENT ASSETS Projects in progress 24 970 10 22 752 13Accounts receivable, customers 51 205 20 44 540 21Other accounts receivable 16 001 6 4 497 2Bank accounts 66 519 27 61 752 30TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 158 695 63 138 541 66 TOTAL ASSETS 251 424 100 211 406 100

EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

EQUITY Fixed equity 30 000 12 30 000 14Working equity 103 211 41 69 383 33 TOTAL EQUITY 133 211 53 99 383 47 LONG TERM LIABILITIES Retirement fund 5 909 2 5 278 2

SHORT TERM LIABILITIES Suppliers 20 609 8 24 131 11Tax payable, not offset 1 971 1 7 086 3Payroll and indirect taxes 19 306 8 15 746 7Wages and holiday liabilities 23 927 10 21 955 10Advance from customers 46 490 18 37 827 18TOTAL SHORT TERM LIABILITIES 112 304 45 106 745 50

TOTAL LIABILITIES 118 213 47 112 023 53

TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 251 424 100 211 406 100


NGI develops optimum geo-solutions for industry and society The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) is a leading international centre for research and consulting within the geosciences. NGI develops optimum solutions for society, and offers expertise on the behaviour of soil, rock and snow and their interaction with the natural and built environment. NGI works within the oil, gas and energy, building and construction, transportation, natural hazards and environment sectors.

NGI is a private foundation with office and laboratory in Oslo, branch office in Trond-heim and daughter company in Houston, Texas, USA. NGI was awarded Centre of Excellence status in 2002 and leads the International Centre for Geohazards (ICG).

Head office:Postal address: P.O.Box 3930 Ullevål StadionNO-0806 Oslo, Norway

Street address: Sognsveien 72,NO-0855 Oslo, NorwayTel: + 47 22 02 30 00, Fax: +47 22 23 04 48

On safe ground

På sikker grunn

På sikker grunn

Onsafe

groundPå

sikkergrunn

More information on NGI’s activity can be found on our webpages.

www.ngi.no/vp


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