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Towing of the Gullfaks C platform to the field in 1984
Photo: Leif Berge

Our history

We began as Statoil in 1972, pioneering Norway’s energy sector. Today we’re Equinor, a global energy company providing energy to people and progress to societies across the world. Here’s a look back at how we got here. 

Founded in 1972 by the Norwegian government, our original purpose was to manage the country’s vast oil and gas resources.

Since then, we have played a pivotal role in the development of Norway’s oil and gas sector, fuelling economic growth and providing substantial revenue to the state. Through exploration, development, and production of oil and gas, we have contributed significantly to Norway’s status as a leading oil and gas exporter.

Our logo from the '70s to today

Overview of 5 different logos from 1972 to 2018
Our logo over the years

Statoil and Equinor over the decades

A foundation built on a vision

We were founded as Statoil, the Norwegian State Oil company, in September 1972. The vision was for Statoil to be the government’s commercial instrument in the development of the oil and gas industry in Norway. Our early operations focused on exploration, development, and production of oil and gas on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

In 1974, the Statfjord field was discovered in the North Sea, and production commenced in 1979. Two years after our formation, the Statfjord field discovery marked a major milestone. In 1979, we began production at Statfjord, and in 1981, we became the first Norwegian company to be given operator responsibility for a field, at Gullfaks in the North Sea.

Pictured above: Statfjord A being towed to the North Sea.

Thank you for the first 50 years...

... and we're looking forward to keep working together in the decades to come.

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Dive deeper into history

Explore the history of Norway’s most valuable company in this comprehensive and exciting interactive website created by the team of historians at The Norwegian Petroleum Museum (NPM).

Equinor 50 years: Industriminne.no

Looking for historical documentation about Equinor/Statoil?

Since the establishment of Statoil in 1972 it has been important for the company to preserve its history through written and electronic documentation.

The Corporate historical archive contains documentation of genuine significance, and we are working to make this available for research and other uses.

As of today, our Corporate historical archive contains almost two kilometres of documentation, in addition to the tens of thousands of photos, films, reports, drawings and other data that the Corporate historical archive has access to.

The documentation is available on a case-to-case basis and by prior appointment. We welcome your inquiry.

Contact details

For documents related to the corporate historical archive of Equinor, please see Arkivportalen. This is a national search service representing a diversity of Norwegian archive institutions, including Statsarkivet, where Equinor's corporate historical documents are stored. The page is in Norwegian only, but search can be done in English.