Norway’s Aker BP has announced the start of oil and gas production from its Skarv Satellite Project, comprising the Alve Nord, Idun Nord and Ørn fields in the Norwegian Sea (Aker BP press release, 26/08/2026).
“The project has been executed efficiently, with production starting one year ahead of the original schedule”, said the company. The three developments contain approximately 120 mboe of recoverable resources, which were described as “predominantly gas” by the company in 2023. The licence partners are Harbour Energy, Equinor, Orlen, and JAPEX.
Separately, Equinor has announced that production has started from the Troll Phase 3 Stage 2 subsea project in the Norwegian North Sea, providing additional gas supply to the 30-year-old Troll A platform and the Kollsnes processing plant (Equinor press release, 25/08/2026).
The project is designed to accelerate the production of 55 bcm of gas from the Troll West reservoir, equivalent to nearly two years of France’s gas consumption, according to the company. The Troll partnership comprises Petoro (56%), Equinor (31%, operator), Norske Shell (8%), TotalEnergies EP Norge (4%) and ConocoPhillips Skandinavia (2%).
Troll Phase 3 Stage 2 builds on the subsea infrastructure developed under the Troll Phase 3 project, which started production in 2021. The latest phase has come on stream just over two years after the partnership took its investment decision. Gas production from Troll alone covers around 10% of European demand, making it Norway’s largest gas-producing field.
As of end-2025, Norway remains one of the world’s largest gas exporters, with gas exports representing more than 90% of domestic gas production. In 2023, Norway became Europe’s largest gas supplier following the decline in Russian gas exports.
It intends to maintain this position and will continue developing its oil and gas resources. The country’s energy minister recently told Reuters that Norway plans to develop its resources in the Barents Sea, regardless of the European Union’s support for a moratorium on Arctic hydrocarbon supplies. Norway also no longer considers itself Europe’s “green battery”.
In 2025, Norway’s gas production remained close to record levels, while oil production reached its highest level since 2009. Official forecasts nevertheless indicate that production could decline sharply after 2030 unless new resources are discovered and developed.
"In today's geopolitical and security environment, and given the resource situation, I believe continued activity in the Barents Sea serves both Norwegian and European interests", the energy minister said.