Europe / Caspian / CIS
Country profile: Norway
Location: | Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden |
Climate: | temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast |
Terrain: | glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north |
Size: | 323802 sq. km total (Land area: 307442 sq. km Water area: 16360 sq.km) |
Population: | 4,644,457 (July 2008 est.) |
Languages: | Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities |
Government: | constitutional monarchy |
Capital city: | Oslo |
Legal system: | mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
Currency: | Norwegian krone (NOK) |
Licensing: |
Country profile
Norway is an advanced, highly-developed economy that has greatly benefited from the utilization of its hydrocarbon resources. In 2005, the country had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $295 billion, and a per-capita GDP of $64,000, which is one of the highest in the world. The Norwegian economy grew by 2.5 percent in 2005, and is forecasted to grow by 2.2 percent in 2006. Norway’s economy is highly dependent on its offshore oil and natural gas sector, which provides the government with its largest single source of revenue and the largest contribution to GDP. In recent years, high oil prices have made for government budget and current account surpluses, and rising disposable income.
Norway's dependence upon oil and gas revenues present long-term challenges for the country, especially because many industry analysts believe that North Sea oil and gas production has already reached or passed its peak. In particular, the country faces pension liabilities and other welfare obligations. In response to these challenges, the Norwegian government created the Petroleum Fund in 1990, later renamed the Government Pension Fund in 2005. A portion of annual oil and gas revenues flow into the Fund each year, which serves the dual purpose of buffering the short-term variations in oil revenues and providing a mechanism to transfer current wealth to future generations. The Fund, which holds a combination of cash, bonds, and shares, holds only international assets and stood at some $240 billion in March 2006.
The latest nationwide election in October 2005 had important repercussions for Norway’s future energy policy, because the largest coalition members (Labour and Socialists) disagree on whether or not to pursue exploration activities in the Barents Sea. In March 2006, the government presented its management plan for the Barents Sea. The plan allows new exploration in some areas of the Barents Sea, but it also places a moratorium on other, ecologically-sensitive parts of the region until 2010. In addition, the plan allows existing exploration activities in the Barents Sea to continue. With declining production from existing areas, Norway must explore these frontier regions in order to maintain oil and natural gas production in the long-term.
Energy production and consumption
Oil | Gas | |
Production: | 2 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 83 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
Consumption: | 228,400 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 5 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
Exports: | 3 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 78 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
Imports: | 91,930 bbl/day (2005 est.) | |
Reserves: | 7 billion bbl (1 January 2006 est.) | 2 trillion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
Major fields: |
Norway - recent news
30 Apr 25 |
Norway: SLB announces progress with Norwegian Competition Authority on ChampionX acquisition SLB has announced that it expects to finalize proceedings with the Norwegian Competition Authority (NCA) in connection with the ChampionX acquisition, concluding the NCA’s Phase 2 review. |
30 Apr 25 |
Norwegian Offshore Directorate - Annual report: Helping develop the Norwegian shelf The annual report outlines how the Norwegian Offshore Directorate carried out its tasks and its civic mission last year. 2024 was characterised by a global landscape fraught with political unrest and conflict. There was a great demand for energy in Europe due to the sharp reduction in imports from Russia. |
29 Apr 25 |
Norway: OKEA announces first quarter 2025 financial results OKEA has announced first quarter 2025 financial results. OKEA delivered operating income of USD 271 (205) and EBITDA of USD 183 (149) million in the first quarter of 2025. Total liquidity amounted to USD 367 (311) million and net cash position was USD 120 (65) million. |
28 Apr 25 |
Norway: Aker BP granted drilling permit for well 25/1-14 in PL 873 B The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Aker BP a drilling permit for well 25/1-14 in production licence PL 873. The well will be drilled by the Deepsea Stavanger semisub. Planned spud date is April 2025. |
23 Apr 25 |
Norway's oil production in March is 4.2 percent more than the NOD’s forecast Preliminary production figures for March 2025 show an average daily production of 1,972,000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate. Oil production in March is 4.2 percent more than the NOD’s forecast and 2.2 percent more than the forecast so far this year. |
Norway - more news
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