Norway Doubles Down on Gas Production for Europe

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

Summary

Norway's government has taken a decision to reopen a number of gasfields shut down last century in an effort to produce more gas for Europe.

New Life

Norway's government has taken the controversial decision to reopen three North Sea gasfields that were shut down almost 30 years ago in an effort to boost gas production for Europe, which is suffering shortages and high prices due to the U.S./Israeli war with Iran. 

The Albuskjell, Vest Ekofisk and Tommeliten Gamma gasfields are located near the giant Ekofisk field off the south coast of Norway. Production will restart in late 2028 - almost 40 years since they last produced. The licence holders include ConocoPhillips, Norway's Var Energi and Petoro, and Polish company Orlen. The project comprises 11 new wells from four subsea templates, tied back via a shared pipeline, and is expected to deliver between 90 million and 120 million barrels of oil equivalent in recoverable gas and condensate resources. The total investments for the three fields are estimated at approximately NOK 19 billion (US$2 billion), and much of the new gas is expected to go to Germany and the U.K.. According to Industrial Info Resources Data, there are nine related projects across the three North Sea gasfields covering drilling, subsea infrastructure and pipeline tiebacks. Subscribers to Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the reports. 

Vest Ekofisk, Albuskjell and Tommeliten Gamma were discovered in the 1970s and put into production between 1977 and 1988. All three were shut down in 1998 as a result of a redevelopment of the Ekofisk field. The decision to reopen the gasfields has been heavily criticised by environmental groups. 

The Government's Take

"Norwegian production of oil and gas is an important contribution to energy security in Europe," said Terje Aasland, Norway's Minister of Energy. "Development of new gas fields helps Norway maintain high deliveries in the long term. This has become more important after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East. The three fields will create great value for the community, and demonstrate the importance of existing infrastructure." 

ConocoPhillips' President for Europe and North Africa Steinar Våge, added: "By utilizing existing infrastructure, we can produce substantial resources at low cost, and these approvals are important milestones for the PPF (Previously Produced Fields) project and our long-term commitment in the Ekofisk area, while at the same time strengthening gas exports to Europe." 

Norway's Importance to Europe

Norway has increased its position as a key supplier of oil and gas to Europe ever since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The imposed sanctions on Russia have seen Russia's share of EU imports of pipeline gas drop from around 40% in 2021 to roughly 6% in 2025, according to European Commission data. That's a drop from more than 150 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2021 to 36 bcm in 2025. For both pipeline gas and LNG Russia accounted for around 12% of total EU gas imports in 2025. In that time, Norway has increased production with exports to Europe increasing from 79.5 bcm in 2021 to 89.3 bcm in 2025. This made it the top supplier of gas to the EU in 2025, providing almost a third of all imports. 

Equinor Revives Old Field

In related news, Equinor has brought the idled Eirin field online "in record time" despite having originally dismissed it as commercially unviable after discovery in 1978. Ressassement was started in 2023 and the field - with recoverable resources of about 27.6 million barrels of oil equivalent, mainly gas - is now exporting gas to Europe via the Gina Krog and Sleipner A platforms in the North Sea. Industrial Info is tracking three associated projects at Eirin worth US$350 million and subscribers can click here for full details. 

"The partnership saw an opportunity to contribute to Europe's energy security in a challenging time," said Linda Kåda Høiland, senior vice president for late-life fields at Equinor. "We made an ambitious plan for a fast, cost-effective and safe development, which has now been realised. Eirin will extend production from the Gina Krog platform by seven years. This means gas to Europe and continued good value creation from the jobs associated with the platform." 

Key Takeaways

• Norway permits the reopening of three North Sea gasfields that were shut down almost 30 years ago in an effort to boost gas production for Europe.
• The Albuskjell, Vest Ekofisk and Tommeliten Gamma gasfields are located near the giant Ekofisk field and will deliver between 90 million and 120 million barrels of oil equivalent (Boe) in recoverable gas and condensate resources.
• Norway was the top supplier of gas to the EU in 2025, providing almost a third of all imports. 

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