Efficiency measures boost gas, oil production offshore Norway
Gas production across the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) last year reached a new high of 124 Bcm, according to the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD).
The main factors were high regularity on producing fields and increased capacity following facility upgrades in 2023. The previous record total was 122.8 Bcm, dispatched in 2022.
Overall gas and oil production totaled about 1.51 Bboe, the highest since 2009, with the Troll and Johan Sverdrup fields in the North Sea contributing roughly 37%.
The NOD expects output to remain stable at this level for up to three years before declining toward the end of the decade.
At year-end 2024, 94 fields were in operation, boosted by Hanz and Tyrving coming onstream in the North Sea. During the current quarter, Equinor should start up the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea.
No fields were shut down last year, and certain fields that have been shut down are now under consideration for redevelopment, the NOD added.
Various fields have been producing longer than originally anticipated, helped by the application of new or improved technologies that have improved understanding of the subsurface. And drilling of more production wells and exploration in surrounding areas has also helped extend the lifespan of many fields.
Some have been producing between 10 and 30 years longer than originally planned, and a few of these will likely remain in production through 2030, or even 2040.
At year-end, 22 approved development projects or field developments were underway, nine of these in the North Sea, 11 in the Norwegian Sea and two in the Barents Sea. They should help slow underlying production declines from other fields over the next decade while also improving recovery from existing fields.
Norway’s largest undeveloped discoveries are 7324/8-1 (Wisting) in the Barents Sea, 6406/9-1 (Linnorm) in the Norwegian Sea and 35/2-1 (Peon) in the North Sea. All are under review for development and could help sustain production from the NCS over the next few decades.
In 2025, the NOD predicts total investments across the NCS of NOK264 billion ($23.15 billion), 2.5% higher than in 2024.
Last year’s exploration activity delivered mostly small discoveries, some of which are under consideration for tiebacks through existing infrastructure. The NOD forecasts similar levels of exploration activity and exploration costs this year.
There has also been growing interest in CO2 storage offshore, with 10 exploration licenses and one exploitation license awarded so far. A tender was issued for two further exploration licenses in December, with awards to follow this year.
