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☆ Ex-Wagner commander who sought asylum in Norway wants to return to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Nerijus Adomaitis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Former Wagner commander Andrei Medvedev is pictured in court with his lawyer Brynjulf Risnes (not pictured), in Oslo, Norway April 25, 2023. REUTERS/Gwladys FoucheOSLO, May 17 (Reuters) - A former commander of Russia's Wagner group who sought asylum in Norway after crossing the Russian-Norwegian border in January said on Wednesday he wanted to return to Russia even though he believed this could pose a risk to his life. I've contacted the Russian embassy in Oslo for help, to facilitate my return," Medvedev said in one of five short videos, adding that he made this decision on his own. He escaped Russia via its Arctic border with Norway in January. He told Reuters at the time he was looking to the future, studying Norwegian and hoping to get asylum.

☆ Equinor, partners to invest $9 bln in new gas field off Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, May 8 (Reuters) - Equinor (EQNR.OL) and its partners have decided to invest about $9 billion to develop the BM-C-33 gas and condensate discovery off Brazil Norwegian company said on Monday. The field which is estimated to hold more than one billion barrels of recoverable oil equivalent is expected to start production in 2028. "Gas exported from the project could represent 15% of the total Brazilian gas demand at start-up," Equinor said in a statement. Gas from the offshore field will be directly injected into the national gas grid via a 200 kilometres pipeline landing at the city of Macae in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Equinor has a 35% stake in the project, while Repsol Sinopec (REP.MC)(600028.SS) holds 35% and Petrobras (PETR4.SA) the remaining 30%.

SummarySummary Companies Shell, Equinor shares outperform sector indexRivals BP, Chevron, Exxon also beat expectationsOil and gas prices slumped in first quarterShell shares up 2.1%, Equinor up 2.7%LONDON/OSLO, May 4 (Reuters) - Energy giants Shell (SHEL.L) and Equinor (EQNR.OL) reported higher-than-expected first-quarter profits on Thursday, using the heft of their trading desks to offset lower oil and gas prices. The stronger-than-expected profits from the two companies follow forecast beating results from rivals Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), Chevron and BP over the past week. Shell's shares were up around 2.1% in early trading and Equinor shares rose around 2.7%, outperforming a European index of oil and gas companies (.SXEP) which was up around 1%. Benchmark Brent crude oil prices averaged $81 per barrel in the first three months of the year, down 16% from a year earlier and 7% from the fourth-quarter. Lower natural gas prices also weighed on Shell's giant integrated gas business, with profits slumping 18% on the quarter.

Norway has become Europe's largest supplier of gas, following a drop in Russian gas flows, which it supplies via a network of pipelines stretching some 9,000 kms (5,590 miles). "The state wants complete state ownership of the central parts of the Norwegian gas transport system," it said, without giving reasons. The gas pipeline network is owned by Gassled, a partnership set up in 2003 by the oil companies that were producing gas offshore Norway at the time. Gassled owns the Kaarstoe and Kollsnes processing plants as well as the majority of the pipelines delivering Norwegian gas to the European Union and Britain. Over time, the oil companies have reduced, or sold entirely their stakes, often selling to investment companies.

NTB/via REUTERSOSLO, April 25 (Reuters) - A former commander in Russia's Wagner mercenary group seeking asylum in Norway pleaded guilty on Tuesday to being involved in a fight outside an Oslo bar and carrying an air gun in public and said he felt "very ashamed." Medvedev pleaded guilty to fighting outside the Oslo bar on Feb. 22 and preventing a police officer from doing his or her duty. He also pleaded guilty to carrying an air gun in public on a separate occasion on March 14. He also said he had bought an air gun from a shop in Oslo for self-defence, because he feared somebody might attack him. Medvedev told Reuters in February he had fought in Ukraine, including in the region around Bakhmut, at the centre of months of fierce battles between Russian and Ukrainian forces that have all but destroyed the city.

Companies Bp Plc FollowOSLO, April 22 (Reuters) - Norway's $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund, one of the world's largest investors, said on Saturday it will vote against a resolution calling on British oil major BP (BP.L) to adopt tougher greenhouse gas targets. The Norwegian fund, itself built on oil and gas revenue, owned 2.73% of BP's shares worth some $2.8 billion at the end of 2022. BP's board has recommended that shareholders vote against the resolution saying it was "unclear" what it wanted the company to do. Investor advisers ISS and Glass Lewis also recommended BP shareholders oppose the resolution, while Britain's Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) asked investors to back it. In February BP rowed back on plans to slash its 2019 oil and gas output levels by 40% by 2030, and now it envisages a 25% cut, angering climate activists.

OSLO, April 13 (Reuters) - Norway is expelling 15 Russian embassy officials that the foreign ministry said on Thursday were intelligence officers operating under the cover of diplomatic positions, a move which Moscow said it would respond to. The expulsions amount to a quarter of Russian diplomats currently accredited in Oslo, the Norwegian government said. It is the latest instance of a Western nation expelling Russian diplomats since the beginning of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. So far this year, Estonia, the Netherlands and Austria have also expelled Russian diplomats. The Nordic country still seeks to maintain normal diplomatic relations with Russia, and Russian diplomats are welcome in Norway, Huitfeldt said.

☆ Equinor aims to restart Norway methanol plant in about four weeks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Equinor ASA FollowConocophillips FollowOSLO, March 7 (Reuters) - Equinor (EQNR.OL) aims to restart Europe's largest methanol plant at Tjeldbergodden in about four weeks, a spokesperson for the Norwegian company said on Tuesday. Equinor shut the plant on Norway's west coast in February to install a mercury removal unit. "We are planning for a safe (production) start-up... We expect this to take around four weeks from now," said a spokesperson. Tjeldbergodden has an annual methanol production capacity of around 900,000 tonnes, accounting for about a quarter of Europe's total, according to Equinor. Equinor has 82.01% stake in the plant and ConocoPhillips (COP.N) owns the remaining 17.99%.

☆ Fears of European industry exodus to U.S. may be overdone
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

However, the risks are offset not only by the substantial existing European incentives, but also other factors - such as proximity to European consumers - that many companies cite as critical in their decisions. Think tank Bruegel says EU support is already on a par with, or even larger than, IRA money. Moreover, well over half of the IRA support is for renewable energy production, with local content requirements playing a very limited role. Some executives say rather than providing more subsidies, Europe needs to simply improve the way they are given. The United States is not a panacea for European firms, not least due to questions about what approach the next U.S. administration might take.

☆ Norway's Equinor nears deal to buy Suncor's UK oilfields
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Ron Bousso | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - Norway's Equinor (EQNR.OL) is close to reaching a deal to buy Suncor Energy's (SU.TO) British North Sea oil and gas assets for around $1 billion, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. The deal includes Suncor's 40% stake in the Equinor-operated offshore Rosebank oil and gas project, located some 130 km (80 miles) northwest of Shetland Islands, and one of the largest developments in the ageing basin. Equinor, which already owns 40% of Rosebank, had previously estimated the project's cost at about 4.3 billion pounds ($5.22 billion). The windfall tax led many companies, including Equinor, to warn that they could reduce their UK North Sea investments. The acquisition of the Suncor assets gives Equinor a large amount of tax losses that it could use to offset future investments in the basin, the sources said.

With net profit for the year of $28.7 billion, up from $8.6 billion a year earlier, Equinor joined global oil and gas majors such as ExxonMobil (XOM.N), Shell (SHEL.L) and BP (BP.L) in reporting record returns for 2022. Majority state-owned Equinor (EQNR.OL) became Europe's largest supplier of natural gas last year as Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) cut deliveries over the West's support for Ukraine, sending European gas prices to all-time highs. But gas prices have tumbled in 2023 and Equinor's Oslo-listed stocks have fallen 9% year-to-date, underperforming a 3.3% rise in European petroleum stocks (.SXEP). The board reaffirmed a regular share buyback plan of $1.2 billion per year and said it would make an extraordinary buy back in 2023 of $4.8 billion, for a total of $6 billion. Equinor's previous adjusted earnings record was $36.2 billion in 2008, when North Sea oil prices hit record highs.

☆ Equinor shares soar on record 2022 profit, Q4 beat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Nerijus Adomaitis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Net profit for the year was $28.7 billion, up from $8.6 billion a year earlier. The company joined global oil and gas majors such as ExxonMobil (XOM.N), Shell (SHEL.L) and BP (BP.L) in reporting record bottom lines. Equinor's previous adjusted earnings record amounted to $36.2 billion in 2008, when the price of North Sea oil had risen to record highs. Equinor said it expected capital spending for 2023 at between $10 billion and $11 billion, broadly in line with a previous plan. It raised it spending projection for the next three years to $13 billion per year from $12 billion seen before.

☆ Equinor posts record profit for 2022, Q4 beats expectation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File PhotoOSLO, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Equinor (EQNR.OL) on Wednesday posted a record $74.9 billion adjusted operating profit for 2022, more than double the previous record thanks to soaring gas prices and with fourth-quarter results beating analyst expectations. The oil and gas producer's adjusted earnings before tax and interest for October-December rose to $15.1 billion from $15 billion a year earlier, beating the $14.4 billion predicted in a poll of 25 analysts compiled by Equinor. The majority state-owned company last year became Europe's largest supplier of natural gas as Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) cut deliveries amid the West's support for Ukraine, sending European gas prices to all-time highs. Equinor's previous adjusted earnings record amounted to $36.2 billion in 2008, when the price of North Sea oil rose to record highs. Gas prices have tumbled in the new year, however, and Equinor's Oslo-listed stocks have fallen 15% year-to-date, underperforming a 1% rise in European petroleum stocks (.SXEP).

[1/3] Andrei Medvedev, a former commander of Russia's Wagner mercenary group poses for a picture during an interview in Oslo, Norway February 1, 2023. Andrei Medvedev, who fled by crossing the Russian-Norwegian border on Jan. 13, says he witnessed the killing and mistreatment of Russian prisoners taken to Ukraine to fight for Wagner. Medvedev said he wanted to speak out about his experiences in the war so "the perpetrators are punished" for their crimes in Ukraine. A special report published by Reuters last week found a graveyard in southern Russia buried with men who were convicts who had been recruited by Wagner to fight in Ukraine. Kripos, Norway's national criminal police service, which has responsibility for investigating war crimes, has begun questioning Medvedev about his experiences in Ukraine.

☆ Norway finds 'substantial' mineral resources on its seabed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Nerijus Adomaitis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The resources estimate, covering remote areas in the Norwegian Sea and Greenland Sea, showed there were 38 million tonnes of copper, almost twice the volume mined globally each year, and 45 million tonnes of zinc accumulated in polymetallic sulphides. About 24 million tonnes of magnesium and 3.1 million tonnes of cobalt are estimated to be in manganese crusts grown on bedrock over millions of years, as well as 1.7 million tonnes of cerium, a rare earth metal used in alloys. The manganese crusts are also estimated to contain other rare earth metals, such as neodymium, yttrium and dysprosium. "Costly, rare minerals such as neodymium and dysprosium are extremely important for magnets in wind turbines and the engines in electric vehicles", the NPD said. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTEnvironmental groups have called on Norway to postpone its seabed mineral exploration until more studies are conducted to understand the organisms living on the seabed and the impact of mining on them.

☆ Exclusive: Equinor joins Western oil firms' retreat from Nigeria -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Ron Bousso | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The company has hired investment bank Standard Chartered to run the sale process, which could raise up to $1 billion, the sources said. Several Western oil giants including Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), Shell (SHEL.L) and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), are seeking to exit or scale back their presence in Nigeria, particularly in onshore operations which have been plagued by theft and devastating spills for years. Equinor's exit is part of the company's efforts to focus on newer and more profitable assets, the sources said. Nigeria's offshore oil and gas operations remain lucrative due to their larger scale, better security and attractive financial terms offered by the government. Operations outside Norway account for around a third of the company's total oil and gas production.

☆ Exclusive: Shell energy transition prompted talks to sell Norway business
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Ron Bousso | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies Shell, Harbour Energy held talks late last yearTalks included Norway, Italy and some UK assetsShell shifting focus to low-carbon, renewablesLONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Shell (SHEL.L) held talks with Harbour Energy (HBR.L) to sell its Norwegian oil and gas fields last year but could not reach a deal due to gas price volatility and uncertainty over the long-term outlook, three company sources told Reuters. Shell and Harbour Energy declined to comment. Shell and ConocoPhillips (COP.N) are the last two oil majors to operate offshore fields in Norway, while TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) only retains stakes in non-operated fields. Negotiations with Harbour Energy included Shell's assets in Norway and its small-scale operations in Italy and several ageing assets in the British North Sea, the sources said. Beyond oil and gas, Shell is involved in several major renewables and low-carbon projects in Norway including in offshore wind blocks, a biofuels plant and the Northern Lights carbon storage and use project.

☆ Norway expects jump in oil output and gas near record highs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Nerijus Adomaitis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OSLO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Norway's oil output is expected to rise by 6.9% this year as the huge Johan Sverdrup field ramps up production while gas volumes are predicted to remain unchanged near record highs, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) said on Monday. Production of crude oil and other petroleum liquids such as condensate is likely to increase to 2.02 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2023 from 1.89 million last year, NPD's forecasts show. The combined volume of oil and gas is expected to rise to 4.12 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) in 2023, up from a preliminary 3.99 million boed last year, the NPD's forecasts show. The country's gas output is expected to stay virtually unchanged in 2023 at 122 billion cubic metres (bcm), or 2.1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, the NPD said, in line with a recent government projection. ($1 = 9.9232 Norwegian crowns)Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis Editing by Terje Solsvik and David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology removes CO2 emissions from the atmosphere and stores them underground. * Smeaheia, a project by Equinor to develop a storage site in the North Sea with a potential to inject up to 20 mtpa from 2027/2028. The project plans to transport CO2 via pipelines to a storage site some 145 km offshore in the southern North Sea. ICELAND* The Coda Terminal will be a cross-border carbon transport and storage hub in Straumsvík, operated by Icelandic carbon storage firm Carbfix. The full capture, transport and storage chain will handle up to 100,000 mtpa of CO2.

☆ Norway's November oil and gas output lag forecast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

OSLO, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Norway's crude oil and gas output fell in November from the previous month, lagging official forecasts, preliminary data from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) showed on Tuesday. Crude oil output fell to 1.74 million barrels per day (bpd) in November, 8.7% below a forecast of 1.91 million bpd and down from 1.75 million bpd in October, the NPD said. Natural gas production in November averaged 346.4 million cubic metres (mcm) per day, 1.8% below a forecast of 352.8 mcm per day and down from 349.4 mcm per day in October. Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis, editing by Terje Solsvik and Nora BuliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Equinor boosts Johan Sverdrup oil output
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

OSLO, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Norway's Equinor (EQNR.OL) said on Thursday it had begun pumping oil from the second phase of its giant Johan Sverdrup development, sharply boosting output from Europe's biggest producing field. "At plateau, the (full) Johan Sverdrup field will produce 720,000 barrels of oil daily, aiming to rise to 755,000 barrels per day," Equinor said in a statement. "Johan Sverdrup alone can thus meet 6-7% of the daily oil demand in Europe," it added. Until now, the Sverdrup field has produced around 535,000 barrels of oil per day, according to Equinor. Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis, editing by Terje SolsvikOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The market for old oil tankers is booming, and it's all down to efforts by Western nations to curb trade in Russian crude. The European Union banned all seaborne Russian crude imports from Dec. 5, with a fuel import ban to follow in February. PRICE SURGEMajor Western oil companies typically stop using tankers when they are about 15 years old, and many would be scrapped. More tankers are now being used for voyages taking weeks, shipping Russian oil from the Baltic and Black Sea to Asia, whereas Russian oil was mainly sold in Europe previously and the voyages only took a few days. Ship broker Braemar also said that some of the vessels involved in shipping Iranian and Venezuelan oil were shifting to transporting Russian oil.

[1/2] Offshore oil and gas platform supply vessels (PSVs) are docked at a pier in Stavanger, Norway, August 10, 2021. The decision to postpone the so-called 26th licensing round was part of the minority government's budget deal with the opposition Socialist Left Party (SV), Terje Aasland said in an interview. The deal extends an agreement the minority cabinet and SV made last year, when the government won elections, which delayed the 26th licensing round by a year. Aasland said there was "no drama" in the decision as authorities still issue licences to oil companies in a parallel licensing around called the APA round, in so-called mature areas that are already open to oil companies. The 26th licensing round grants the right to oil companies to explore and produce oil and gas in areas not explored previously.

☆ Equinor and partners to invest $1.44 bln in Arctic gas field
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Norway's Equinor (EQNR.OL) and its partners on Tuesday said they would invest 14.8 billion Norwegian crowns ($1.44 billion) in developing the Irpa gas discovery in the Norwegian Sea. "The Irpa development will use available processing capacity on the Hansteen platform when production gradually declines and at the same time contribute to extending the life of the Hansteen field," Norway's energy ministry said in a statement. Production is expected to start in the final quarter of 2026 and last until 2039, the development plan showed. Equinor, the field's operator, has a 51% stake in the Irpa license, with state-owned Petoro holding 20%, Wintershall Dea 19% and Shell (SHEL.L) 10%. ($1 = 10.2451 Norwegian crowns)Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis, editing by Terje Solsvik and Anna RingstromOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Equinor sees no substantial impact from EU gas price cap
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

OSLO, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Norwegian oil company Equinor (EQNR.OL) said on Tuesday it believed the European Commission's proposed gas price cap would have no substantial impact on the company's exports to Europe. The EU executive on Tuesday proposed a cap of 275 euros ($282) per megawatt hour from next year for month-ahead derivatives on the Dutch exchange that serve as Europe's benchmark. "Our immediate assessment is that this will not give substantial consequences on our exports," Equinor said in a statement to Reuters. Norway has overtaken Russia as Europe's biggest gas supplier. State-controlled Equinor's is the Nordic country's largest producer of oil and gas.

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