The NPD celebrates its 50th anniversary today!

The towing of the Troll A platform – the largest man-made structure that has ever been moved. Photo: Equinor.

The towing of the Troll A platform – the largest man-made structure that has ever been moved. Photo: Equinor.

6/14/2022 14 June 1972 – Parliament (the Storting) decided to establish the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) and Statoil (now Equinor).

50 years have passed – and what a journey it has been – both on the Norwegian shelf, for Norwegian industry and working life, and not least, for Norway as a welfare state.

Building the future on the shoulders of history

In a feature article, Director General Ingrid Sølvberg takes a walk down memory lane, observes the current unrest in the world of energy and fixes her eyes on the future. 

 

Contact

Ola Anders Skauby

Director Communication, public affairs and emergency response

Tel: +47 905 98 519

Updated: 6/22/2022

Latest news

Vast gas resources may lie here
10/21/2026 The Barents Sea is home to a number of discoveries that could hold vast volumes of gas. A new study could uncover major opportunities for one of these discoveries.
Production figures September 2026
10/20/2026 Preliminary production figures for September 2026 show an average daily production of 1 900 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Gas and condensate discovery in the Norwegian Sea (6407/5-3 S)
10/19/2026 Vår Energi and Equinor have made a gas and condensate discovery in the "Lakris" prospect in the Gimsan Basin on the Halten Terrace in the Norwegian Sea.
Renewed interest in exploring under the basalt
10/15/2026 Undiscovered oil and gas resources may be present under the volcanic rock basalt in the western part of the Norwegian Sea. However, no exploration wells have been drilled in these areas.
Oil and gas discovery in the North Sea (30/8-7 S)
10/14/2026 Equinor and its partners have discovered oil and gas in the “Grimsnes” prospect in the Oseberg area, about 140 km west of Bergen.
Production licences: We are transitioning to Altinn
10/13/2026 Starting on 21 October, applications and notifications on decisions associated with production licences must be submitted via Altinn. This will simplify the process for the companies.
Appraisal well in the North Sea increases projection (16/1-EA-4 H)
9/25/2026 Aker BP and its partners Equinor and DNO have drilled an appraisal well on the "Verdandi" and "Lillefix" discoveries in the North Sea. This well increases the projected discovery size.
Production figures August 2026
9/22/2026 Preliminary production figures for August 2026 show an average daily production of 2 073 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Aker BP has made a gas discovery in the North Sea (36/4-2 and 36/4-2 A)
9/16/2026 Preliminary calculations show that the size is between 0.15 and 2.4 million standard cubic metres of recoverable oil equivalent (Sm3 of o.e.), which corresponds to 1-15 million barrels.
Drilling permit for wellbore 25/9-5 S
9/15/2026 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 25/9-5 S in production licence 1042.