Oslo [Norway], July 23 (ANI): India has officially deposited the Instrument of Ratification of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, the depository entity of TEPA.

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In a post on X, the Indian Embassy in Norway said, 'India deposited the Instrument of Ratification of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) of between India and EFTA today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, which is the depository entity of TEPA.'

With this development, all five parties to the agreement have submitted their original instruments of ratification, setting the stage for the treaty to take effect within the next three months.

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The embassy added, 'With this all the five countries have submitted the original instrument of ratification, thereby preparing the ground for the treaty to enter into force within the next three months.'

Calling it a major milestone in bilateral cooperation, the Indian mission said, 'This is a landmark event which will herald greater trade and economic partnership between India and EFTA.'

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The ratification comes close on the heels of efforts to deepen bilateral collaboration in high-tech sectors. The embassy also highlighted the recent visit of Indian Ambassador to Norway, Acquino Vimal, to several key innovation hubs in the country.

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'H.E. Ambassador Acquino Vimal, together with Trond Skundberg (NICCI), visited Mustad on July 4, 2025 - Bright House, Norwegian Cybersecurity Cluster, NTNU Gjvik, and Raufoss Industripark - key hubs for cutting-edge research, cybersecurity, and industrial innovation in Norway,' the embassy said.

The visit comes ahead of India's renewed push to develop a full exploration and production (E&P) deepwater technology ecosystem, as the country plans to explore over 2.5 lakh sq km in the Open Acreage Licensing Policy Round 10, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Puri said on July 7, highlighting the growing relevance of international collaboration in advanced technologies and innovation-driven sectors.

In a series of posts on X, the Union Minister dubbed Round 10 as one of the largest offshore exploration bidding rounds globally.

The Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP) provides potential investors with the freedom to select blocks of their choice by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI).

In a roundtable with representatives of the Offshore Energy Cluster in Bergen, Norway, the Union minister held discussions on technologies including well services, subsea operations, testing, maintenance operations, drilling tools, drilling submersible rigs, well completion services, high pressure high-temperature wells, drillships, monitoring technologies covering the entire gamut of hydrocarbons exploration, particularly deep sea exploration by the Norwegian energy professionals.

Representatives from TechnipFMC, Reach Subsea, DNV Group, Odfjell Drilling, CCB Subsea, Shearwater, Innovasjon Norge, Norwegian Energy Partners, and Equinor India.

Further, to provide momentum to India's efforts to achieve energy security, the minister visited the Northern Lights CO2 Terminal in Bergen, Norway.

It is the largest carbon storage project funded by the Norwegian Government and partnered by Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies.

'This unique project can store up to 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. It has an open and flexible infrastructure to transport CO2 from capture sites by ship to a receiving terminal in western Norway for intermediate storage, before being transported by pipeline for safe and permanent storage in a reservoir 110 kms away from shore and 2,600 metres under the seabed,' the minister wrote in a post on X.

'We are reviewing this, and similar projects, to upgrade and expand India's energy capabilities. Norway's expertise in deepwater exploration, seismic oil surveys, offshore wind and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies aligns well with India's ambitious energy transition agenda,' he wrote.

The minister also visited the CCB Energy Blue Hydrogen Plant, a first-of-its-kind commercial blue hydrogen facility located in Kollsnes as part of CCB Energy Park in Oygarden, Norway.

'It was interesting to see world's first commercial plant which produces blue hydrogen with integrated carbon capture and subsea storage. This strategically positioned plant is a joint initiative between CCB Energy (a part of CCB Energy Holding and H2 Production) and ZEG Power, leveraging proprietary 'ZEG-H' reforming technology with built-in CO capture. The captured carbon is transported to the adjacent Northern Lights facility for storage. The pilot plant produces around 1 ton of hydrogen per day while capturing nearly all associated CO2,' he wrote. (ANI)