Oslo, 21 October. Norway's gas output in September fell by 12.6% from August: it averaged 298.4 million cubic metres a day, against about 341.6 million a month earlier, according to preliminary data from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate.
Total gas sales in September were about 9 billion cubic metres, against 10.6 billion in August. The decline coincided with the end of the annual maintenance season on the Norwegian shelf; in addition, an extended outage at the Ormen Lange field operated by Shell is expected to cut supplies from it by about 7.9 million cubic metres a day until 1 February 2027. Norway is the largest supplier of pipeline gas to Europe after the reduction of Russian supplies, so a fall in its output is immediately felt on the European market.
What it means: Europe's main gas supplier produced noticeably less in September than in summer, just before the winter rise in demand.
Who benefits: Lower supply may support gas prices, which benefits sellers, including the Norwegian companies themselves; for European consumers and industry it is the risk of an expensive winter.
Background: In Kazakhstan too, commercial gas output in September fell to a 15-year low.
List of sources used: Infotek, Kazservice
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
