OSLO: Norway’s gas deliveries to Europe via a network of subsea pipelines declined for a second year in a row in 2014. Norway is Western Europe’s main gas supplier and meets about a fifth of total European Union needs, sending gas to terminals in Britain, Germany, France and Belgium.
The Nordic country pumped a total of 101 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to Europe in 2014, down by 1.5 bcm from the previous year. Gassco didn’t provide an explanation for the decline, but gas demand in Europe has been sluggish due to weaker economic growth, the addition of renewables and low coal and carbon prices.
Russian gas producer Gazprom said in December it expected gas exports to the European Union and Turkey to fall to 147 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2014 from 162 bcm in 2013.
In 2013, Norway exported via pipelines a total of 102.5 bcm of gas, which was 4.9 bcm down from a record 107.6 bcm in 2012.Norway’s exports of liquefied natural gas from its Snoehvit LNG plant in the Arctic are not included in the statistics on pipeline gas.
