We’re Europe’s largest gas supplier. Why does that matter?
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Westminster in London. The UK is the second largest importer of Norwegian gas. | Photo: Adobe
Europe* relies on imported gas—and around a third of it comes from Norway. What does that mean in everyday life for the countries we export to? We visit seven of our European neighbours to see how they use the natural gas they import from us.
Around 8800 km of pipelines beneath the North Sea transport natural gas efficiently to Europe. And where there aren’t pipes, there is LNG: supercooled, liquified natural gas that we can transport by ship anywhere in the world.
Renowned for its suitability for cooking, gas is also an essential commodity for society at large.
Photo: Johnathan Macedo on Unsplash
Natural gas is the quiet partner behind the world’s great kitchens — from the perfect flame under a Neapolitan pizza to the controllable heat that brings a French sauce to life.
But beyond the cooking range, it powers industry, supports modern life, and helps keep societies running long after the plates have been cleared.
Did you know that Germany, UK, France, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Finland, Spain and Czech Republic all import natural gas from Norway?
Discover the many ways that Europe uses gas in the interactive map below:
Norwegian gas in Europe: Click to explore by country
Norway’s invisible export – natural gas
What are the first things you think of about Norway? Fish, fjords, and brown cheese? Well, Norway has another export that’s invisible: huge quantities of natural gas, underpinning Europe’s energy security.
A staggering 8800 kilometres of underwater gas pipelines transport natural gas efficiently and reliably to our neighbours in Europe.
Natural gas also helps drive Europe’s energy transition by providing stable and flexible baseload energy to support renewables like solar and wind. Click on the country tabs above to find out more!
Gas — the vital commodity on which society depends
Industries in Europe employing thousands of people and feeding millions more depend on natural gas. Foods, fertilisers, medicines, electronics, chemicals, plastics, glass, steel and cement all require natural gas in their manufacture, either as energy or feedstock, or both.
The role of gas in the energy transition Natural gas is also a vital component in the energy transition, enabling wider and faster adoption of intermittent renewable energy like solar and wind, by providing flexible baseload to ensure that power is always available. With decarbonisation and CCS, gas can offer emissions-free electricity generation or be converted to hydrogen for a multitude of uses.
Energy security In an ever more unstable world, natural gas from Norway represents a trustworthy energy lifeline for countries that are not self-reliant, especially in winter.
But energy security is not only about physical supply; it is also about affordability — a core pillar of the energy trilemma alongside sustainability and reliability.
By delivering large, predictable volumes to European markets, Equinor is helping stabilise both supply and prices, reducing volatility and ensuring that households and industry alike have access to energy that is not only available, but economically within reach.
Disclaimer: In Europe, Equinor sells gas through bilateral agreements directly to customers, and on energy exchanges in the so-called spot market. Price signals express where demand is highest, and while we always aim to find the highest priced market for the production on the NCS, we also optimise downstream the landing points, including delivery to customers on the exchanges.
Through the independent Attributes SAS digital platform, customers can purchase so-called sustainability qualities which include a guarantee of origin of the gas and vetted documentation of its upstream greenhouse gas footprint. This agreement with the Rotterdam-based energy company Eneco is an example of this.
* In this context, we define “Europe” as being the EU27+UK.
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