Norwegian government gives green light to Equinor to increase gas production

Oslo, March 25 - Neftegaz.RU. The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum & Energy has given the go ahead to Equinor to increase streams from the Oseberg, Troll and Heidrun fields, Energy Voice has reported.

Applications for revised production permits for the 3 fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) have been signed off, according to the Energy Industries Council.
The 3 field will now produce at «almost maximum capacities».

According to the Norwegian government, the approved applications will not ramp up daily total Norwegian gas production.
However, they will go some way towards sustaining export volumes.

European countries are looking to shore up their gas supplies after economic sanctions were rolled out against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
As a result prices have sky rocketed, fueling inflation concerns across the continent.

Norwegian energy giant Equinor is the operator of Oseberg, Heidrun and Troll fields – the former came on stream in 1988, with the latter 2 following in 1995.
Equinor said:

• The adjusted production permits will allow Oseberg boost its gas exports by nearly 1 billion m³ up to September
• Gas exports for Heidrun can be increased by 0.4 billion m³ for the calendar year 2022
• Production from Troll can be ramped up to a maximum of 1 billion m³ of gas if there is a loss of production on other fields in the area

Norway supplies 20% to 25% of the gas consumed in the European Union and the UK via an extensive network of offshore pipelines, the government said.

Author: Hamish Penman