Norway: Oil output drops by 11 pct YOY over field shutdowns

September oil production in Norway dropped 11 percent compared to the same period last year due to maintenance activities on several fields and temporary production halt on Eni’s Goliat field, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) reported on Tuesday. 

According to the agency, preliminary production figures for September 2016 show an average daily production of 1 591 000 barrels of oil, NGL, and condensate, which is a decrease of 344 000 barrels per day, approx. 18 percent, compared to August.

Total gas sales were 6.4 billion Sm3 (GSm3), which is a decrease of 1.6 GSM3 from the previous month.

Average daily liquids production in September was: 1 375 000 barrels of oil, 186 000 barrels of NGL and 30 000 barrels of condensate. The oil production is about 11 percent below the oil production in September last year and is about 4 percent below the NPD’s prognosis.

The oil production is about 11 percent below the oil production in September last year and is about 4 percent below the NPD’s prognosis.

Production is less than last month and the main reason for this is that several fields were closed for maintenance. Production on Eni’s Goliat, in the Barents Sea, started again on the 27th September.

The total petroleum production for the first nine months in 2016 is about 169.5 million Sm3 oil equivalents (MSm3 o.e.), broken down as follows: about 68.7 MSm3 o.e. of oil, about 16.4 MSm3 o.e. of NGL and condensate and about 84.4 MSm3 o.e. of gas for sale. The total volume is 1.4 MSm3 o.e. higher than in 2015.

Final production figures from August 2016 show an average daily production of about 1.572 million barrels of oil, 0.364 million barrels of NGL and condensate and a total of 8.0 billion Sm3 saleable gas production.