Norway sets new record in gas exports

Åsgard B gas and condensate processing platform off Norway; Image: Statoil/Øyvind Hagen.

A new record for gas exports from Norway was set in 2016, according to a report by the Norwegian state-owned gas pipelines operator Gassco. 

Gassco said on Tuesday that, in 2016, 108.56 billion standard cubic meters (scm) were delivered within Gassco’s operatorship to Germany, Belgium, France, and the UK.

By comparison, 108.44 billion scm of gas were exported from the Norwegian continental shelf in 2015 to European buyers via these four countries.

“Deliveries show that European demand for Norwegian gas is higher than ever,” says Frode Leversund, CEO of Gassco. “It’s also gratifying that we’ve been able to set a new record in a year characterized by extensive maintenance work.”

Gassco said that one of its objectives as operator for Norway’s integrated gas transport system is to run this network with the highest possible regularity.

Average regularity for the transport system during 2016 was 99.71 per cent, compared with 99.38 per cent the year before, the company noted.

Increase for NGL too

Deliveries of natural gas liquids (NGL) and condensate from the Gassco-operated process plants at Kårstø and Kollsnes (via Vestprosess) in western Norway also rose in 2016.

They reached a total of 10 million tonnes, compared with 9.6 million tonnes the year before.