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Equinor spends $6 bln/yr to keep Norway oil, gas consistent, CEO says

Equinor is investing around $6 billion a year in oil and gas expedition and drilling in Norway to preserve constant output levels through 2035, CEO Anders Opedal informed .

The Norwegian energy giant has become Europe's main gas supplier, supplanting Russia after the European Union approved Russian gas imports in the wake of Moscow's intrusion of Ukraine.

The yearly $6 billion financial investment is the most Equinor can make without eroding returns from operations in an area where it has been producing for more than 50 years, Opedal stated in an interview on the sidelines of the CERAWeek energy conference.

We couldn't invest more per year without losing performance and breaking down the efficiency of our investments, he stated.

Equinor has 50 oil and gas tasks either underway or in planning stages in the Norwegian North Sea to sustain output and offset the natural decline of existing fields, he stated on Monday.

The business prepares to drill 30 exploration wells per year over the next years.

Norway exported around 109 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas through its 8,800-km (5,468-mile) pipeline network linking it to Europe in 2023, down from 116.9 bcm a year previously, pipeline system operator Gassco informed in January.

Equinor's net share of production is around 40 bcm annually usually, which the company will maintain steady into 2035, Opedal stated. Equinor likewise plans to sharply grow its solar and wind power generation by the end of the years.

As well as increasing gas buy from Norway, European countries have imported more melted gas to make up for lost Russian products.

Gas rates soared to tape-record levels in 2022, then this winter season they dropped to near pre-crisis levels as stocks stayed high and need plunged due to a moderate winter and preservation steps.

European gas stocks are in a good position and are anticipated to be above 50% of storage capability at the end of winter in April, he said.

Equinor's head of global oil and gas production Philippe Mathieu informed his division also intends to preserve output outside Norway stable by 2035 by investing mainly in its existing production centers including Britain, the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and Angola.

Around 70% of its expedition costs will focus on finding brand-new resources near existing fields, Mathieu informed , while Equinor likewise prepares to explore for oil and gas resources in new areas including overseas Canada's east coast and Argentina.