Oil and gas production from Norway, one of Europe's top producers, was faltered by maintenance in December, but finished higher than 2016, national data show.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, the nation's energy regulator, reported that preliminary data show total daily production from December averaged 1.54 million barrels of oil, 363,000 barrels of natural gas liquids and 31,000 barrels of condensate, a super light form of oil. For oil, production was about 4 percent below expectations for December.

"The main reasons that production in December was below forecast is that Goliat was closed until the Dec. 17 and technical problems and maintenance work on some other fields," the regulator stated.

Goliat, operated in the Barents Sea by Italian energy company Eni was shut down briefly by Norwegian regulators starting in November because of safety concerns.

Apart from Russia, Norway is the top oil and natural gas supplier for the European economy, putting nearly all of its offshore production on the export market. Total production last year, including the preliminary figures from December, was 37.7 million barrels of oil equivalent higher than 2016.

State-owned natural gas shipper Gassco said last year set a record for deliveries to European and British buyers of Norwegian natural gas. The annual shipment of natural gas through the Norwegian pipeline system to continental Europe was 8 percent higher last year than in 2016, setting a record for its 40 year history.

An auction earlier this month for new offshore access was record-setting for Norway, with 75 licenses awarded total in the Barents, North and Norwegian Seas. Licenses were spread out among small and international majors. The NPD said that, in order for Norway to maintain its reputation as a major production, future exploration and production activity needed to increase, both from frontier and mature basins.

Tweet

Radioactivity from oil and gas wastewater persists in Pennsylvania stream sediments
Durham NC (SPX) Jan 23, 2018
More than seven years after Pennsylvania officials requested that the disposal of radium-laden fracking wastewater into surface waters be restricted, a new Duke University study finds that high levels of radioactivity persist in stream sediments at three disposal sites. The contamination is coming from the disposal of conventional, or non-fracked, oil and gas wastewater, which, under curre ... read more

Related Links
All About Oil and Gas News at OilGasDaily.com

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only