Offshore Norge – Climate and Environmental Report 2025

Offshore Norge

Emissions to air from Norwegian oil and gas production are reported by several sources. However, both the reported figures and the development trends from year to year can vary significantly depending on the source. There are several reasons for this, but the most important is the differing definitions of which activities are included in the Norwegian oil and gas industry. 

The climate and environmental report from Offshore Norge is published annually in June and contains total emission figures from the industry. Which emissions to include are based on the definitions in the Petroleum Tax Act. These cover all exploration and production activities on the NCS, including emissions associated with pipeline transport of oil and gas, even if these may occur at onshore facilities such as Kårstø and Kollsnes. All activities at Melkøya are also included. Data is retrieved from the Collabor8 Footprint database, which has been developed to simplify the reporting of emission figures and the submission of annual emission reports from operators to the government. 

Statistics Norway (SSB) publishes preliminary total figures for the entire industry in May, followed by emissions broken down by various sources in oil and gas production in December. The figures are reported to the UN under the UN Climate Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. The emission figures differ from those reported via Footprint to the NEA by including more land-based activities. This includes the Kårstø gas plant. Consequently, the emission figures from Statistics Norway (SSB) will normally be higher than the corresponding Footprint figures, while figures from most emission sources are generally comparable. The emission figures from SSB also form the basis for the website Miljøstatus.no.

The NEA has its own database for Norwegian emissions (norskeutslipp.no) which is accessible to the public and contains emission data from all Norwegian sources, including oil and gas production. Generally, these are the same emission figures found in Footprint. However, the main category "Offshore Petroleum Activities" does not include onshore facilities or exploration activities. Therefore, the total figures for the industry will be lower than the corresponding figures reported in the Environmental Report and by the SSB. 

In addition, there are also emission figures from the quota-liable part of the activities on the NCS and from the tax-liable part of Norwegian oil and gas production. Both of these have different delimitations in relation to each other and in relation to the three sources described above. Both the total figures and figures from various sources will therefore vary. 

Each year, Offshore Norge publishes a climate and environmental report with a detailed overview of last year’s reportable emissions and discharges from the petroleum industry. The purpose of the report is to share data on all emissions and discharges to the environment from our activities, and to provide information about the industry's environmental work and results.

Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority

Harmonized Offshore Chemical Notification Format

International Association of Oil and Gas Producers

Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (now the Norwegian Offshore Directorate)

Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy

Oslo-Paris Convention. This is a legally binding international environmental cooperation for the protection of the marine environment in the Northeast Atlantic. Fifteen countries with coastlines or rivers flowing into the Northeast Atlantic are members.

Pose Little Or No Risk to the Marine Environment is a list from OSPAR of chemical compounds that are believed to have little or no effect on the marine environment when discharged.

Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (now the Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency)

The Norwegian petroleum industry has a clear ambition: We aim to be world leaders in environmental matters and to constantly improve. Detailed reporting on all emissions and discharges is essential to measure progress and the degree of goal achievement.

The climate and environmental report is based on the annual reports submitted by the operators to the Norwegian Environment Agency (NEA) in accordance with regulatory requirements detailed in NEA's 

. This applies to all planned, officially approved operational emissions and discharges as well as those occurring accidentally. Common frameworks as detailed in 

 ensure consistent emissions/discharge reporting from all production licences. Emission data from each field is recorded in Collabor8 Footprint (hereafter referred to as Footprint), a joint database for Offshore Norge, the Norwegian Environment Agency (NEA), the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA), and the Norwegian Offshore Directorate. The 

field-specific emissions and discharge reports

 submitted to the NEA are available for downloading from Offshore Norge's website.

 are also available on Offshore Norge's website.

Emissions and discharges from the petroleum industry are defined in accordance with the definition in the Norwegian Petroleum Tax Act. The following emissions and discharges are therefore not included in the report: emissions and discharges from the construction and installation phases, maritime support services, helicopter traffic, and those areas of onshore facilities that cannot be related to offshore production. Also this year, carbon capture and storage activities (CCS) are included in a separate chapter of the report. Whilst they are not defined as petroleum activities, there are major similarities and the NEA and the operators have agreed to include reports on CCS drilling activities in Footprint. 

Emissions and discharges vary according to the operations on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). The report therefore includes a brief description of the operation before the factual section that summarises emissions/discharges from the entire operation. A summary of projects related to the marine environment and climate is also provided at the end of the report.

Translated by TX:Translation AS and Offshore Norge. 

Offshore Norge – Climate and Environmental Report 2025

1. Introduction

1.1 Data basis and methodology