On Tuesday, Norway awarded exploration licenses for 53 offshore oil and gas sites to 20 companies in its annual licensing round. Energy Minister Terje Aasland also announced plans to boost drilling in the Arctic.
“We must explore more and invest more to maintain stable production in the coming years,” Aasland said at a conference.
In recent years, Norway has ramped up offshore oil and gas exploration to meet Europe’s growing energy needs, following the continent’s shift away from Russian energy sources. Last year, DNO ASA, a Norwegian oil and gas operator, made a notable discovery of gas and condensate at the Carmen prospect in the Norwegian North Sea. Initial evaluations suggest recoverable resources could range between 120 million and 230 million barrels of oil. This makes Carmen the largest discovery on the Norwegian Continental Shelf since 2013. In addition, Aker BP announced a significant oil find in the North Sea’s Yggdrasil area, with preliminary estimates indicating a recoverable volume of 40 million to 90 million barrels of oil equivalent, surpassing the company’s previous forecast of 18 million to 45 million barrels.
Norway and the U.S. have become Europe’s main suppliers of natural gas, replacing Russia. In 2023, Norway supplied 87.8 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas, making up 30.3% of Europe’s imports. The U.S. supplied 56.2 bcm, or 19.4% of total imports. In 2024, gas flows from Norway to Europe averaged 313 million cubic meters per day. However, the U.S. leads in liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies. Last year, the U.S. provided nearly half of Europe’s LNG imports, more than any other country. On a global scale, the U.S. shipped a record 56.9 million metric tons of LNG during the first eight months of 2024, surpassing Australia and Qatar. This marks the second consecutive year that U.S. exporters have led global LNG exports.
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