Norway’s Pipeline Gas Exports To Europe At Record High In 2017

Norway’s pipeline gas exports to Europe hit a record high in 2017, exceeding the previous year by almost seven percent, preliminary data from the country’s offshore gas systems operator Gassco showed on the 2^nd January.

Europe’s second-largest gas supplier after Russia exported 116 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas via pipelines to receiving terminals in Britain, Germany, France and Belgium last year, up from the previous record of 108.6 bcm in 2016.

Norway’s pipeline gas exports meet about a quarter of Europe’s demand.

Analysts said Norway’s export levels in 2017 were boosted by low summer maintenance at the country’s offshore gas fields, and higher output from its largest field, Troll.

More than 40 percent of all exports went to terminals in Germany, and over 30 percent to Britain, with the rest shared between France and Belgium.

The highest daily delivery in 2017 stood at 365.3 million cubic metres, the preliminary data showed.

Norwegian authorities increased Troll’s production quota to 36 billion cubic metres from the 1^st October 2017 until the 30^th September 2018, up from 33 bcm for the previous 12 months, its operator Statoil has said.

Norway’s annual export of gas to Europe has held at over 100 billion cubic metres each year since 2012, Gassco’s data showed.