Norway’s gas production was billions of cubic meters higher in 2022 than in 2021 and reached a total of 122 billion cubic meters, according to the Shelf 2022 presentation, which the Norway’s Petroleum Directorate organized today.

The increase in gas production also means that gas now represents more than half of production on the Norwegian continental shelf and that Norway is currently Europe’s top gas supplier.

The presentation noted a variety of investment decisions being taken in 2022 while also emphasizing the submission of 13 additional plans for development and operation, amounting to NOK 300bn (EUR 28.2bn) in total investments.

”These are remarkable investments for the future. This will help ensure that Norway can continue to be a reliable supplier of energy to Europe,” says Director General of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate Torgeir Stordal in a press release.

The NPD estimates that total production will remain at a high level and continue to grow in coming years.

In terms of oil, 4 million barrels of oil equivalent were produced daily, with annual production coming to 230 million standard cubic meters of oil equivalent.

Over the course of the year, 32 exploration wells were completed, resulting in 11 discoveries. However, these proved to be smaller than expected, meaning that resource growth was lower than in the preceding three years.

”At the same time, it’s gratifying that the companies have shown a willingness to drill exploration wells that carry greater risk when it comes to finding oil or gas. This is typical in parts of the Shelf or the subsurface where no discoveries have been made previously,” states Stordal.

In January 2022, 53 new production licenses were allocated as awards in predefined areas (APAs) 

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