Norway Gas Output Dips Month on Month

Norway produced 364.2 million cubic meters (12.86 billion cubic feet) a day (MMcmd) of natural gas in January, down 0.9 percent from December 2025 but up 4.8 percent from January 2025, according to preliminary monthly production figures from the country’s upstream regulator.

Last month’s gas production exceeded the Norwegian Offshore Directorate’s (NOD) forecast by 5.2 percent, the regulator reported on its website.

The Nordic country sold 11.3 billion cubic meters (Bcm) of gas in January 2026, down 100 MMcm from December 2025.

Norway’s oil output last month averaged two million barrels per day (MMbpd), up 1.8 percent month-on-month and 13.4 percent year-on-year. The figure beat the NOD projection by 6.3 percent.

Total liquids production in December was 2.22 MMbpd, up 1.2 percent sequentially and 12.2 percent year-over-year.

Last year Norway’s gas production saw a “minor” decrease to 120 Bcm, compared to a record gas production of 124 Bcm in 2024, the NOD said earlier in “The Shelf” report published January 8, 2026. It expects gas production to stay at the 2025 level over the next three to four years.

“Norwegian gas accounts for about 30 percent of EU gas consumption, and Norway is Europe’s largest supplier after cutting off Russian gas”, the NOD noted in that report.

“The Troll field in the North Sea accounts for about one-third of overall gas production, and this situation will continue over the next few years”.

Meanwhile Norway’s 2025 oil production of about 106 MMcm marked the country’s highest since 2009, according to the report. “The Johan Sverdrup field in the North Sea accounts for close to 40 percent of this, and the field has produced at plateau over the last three years”, the report said. “The field will continue to provide a significant share of oil production over the next few years, despite gradually declining from plateau. 

“The Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea started producing in March and has gradually contributed to increased oil production on the shelf. The field reached plateau production in the summer of 2025, and the Directorate expects plateau production to be maintained for several years before a natural decline.  

“Production from the NCS [Norwegian continental shelf] is nearly equally distributed between oil and gas”.

At yearend 2025 there were 97 fields producing in Norwegian waters, with no shutdowns over the year, according to “The Shelf”.

“Production is expected to remain at a stable, high level over the next few years, and will then gradually decline towards the end of the 2020s”, the NOD said in that report.

Additionally as of December 2025 the NCS had 17 field development projects underway, the report said. Eight of these are on Norway’s side of the North Sea, eight in the Norwegian Sea and one in the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea.

“These projects will help keep the investment level high and slow the underlying decline in production over the next decade”, the report said. “Additional development projects will also help extend lifetimes and thereby lead to improved recovery from existing fields”.

Majority state-owned Equinor ASA saw a two percent year-on-year drop in its net gas production in Norway in 2025, averaging 739,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd). On the other hand, the company’s net liquids production at home grew seven percent to 671,000 boepd.

“In the fourth quarter of 2025, production increased compared to the same quarter last year, driven by new fields coming on stream, including Johan Castberg and Halten East, as well as new wells”, Equinor said in its quarterly report February 4, 2026. “The increase was partially offset by natural decline in several fields. Johan Castberg operated at minimum production levels for 25 days during the quarter due to unplanned maintenance.

“Liquids production increased more than gas in the quarter, driven by new fields coming on stream with a higher proportion of liquids in the production mix.

“Production increased for 2025 compared to 2024, reflecting ramp-up of new fields and new wells during the year, as well as stable performance, partially offset by natural decline”.

In a separate press release Friday, the NOD reported an increase of 111 MMcmoe to 15.72 Bcmoe in the country’s estimated total resource volumes in 2025 compared to 2024. The 2025 figure comprised 9.04 Bcm of liquids and 6.69 trillion cubic meters of gas.

“The Resource Accounts show high production of both liquids and gas, and that resource growth is replacing 60 percent of production”, said NOD assistant director for analyses Nadine Mader-Kayser.

The NOD said, “While there was a reduction in contingent resources in fields, there was an increase in contingent resources in discoveries. In other words, despite a minor reduction in undiscovered resources, there is an overall increase in total petroleum resources”.

To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com