Sokkeldirektoratet

Valuable NPD data

johan-sverdrup-credit-jonny-engelsvoll-equinor.jpg

“The Johan Sverdrup field was initially discovered by Lundin in 2010, who combined old seismic data and data from old exploration wells from Diskos with new seismic, new data programmes and new analysis models in their exploration activities. In 2020, production income from the field was estimated at NOK 1,430 billion over 50 years. Photo: Jonny Engelsvoll/Equinor.”

6/12/2023 The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s data is expected to play a vital role when it comes to facilitating and contributing towards more rapid development of new industries on the shelf.

This is one of the conclusions from the report “The value of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s data”, prepared by consulting firm Menon Economics on behalf of the NPD.

“Of course, it’s exciting to see the concrete values of the NPD’s data management through efficient use of resources, but one of the most interesting things about the study is that we now have data on how the companies are using the data that we manage,” says Petter Dischington, responsible for the report in the NPD.

“This information shows that NPD’s data is key to the activities that provide the companies with a greater understanding of the subsurface and furthermore, contribute to value creation on the shelf.”

The goal of the report has been to illustrate the substantial value this can represent for various player groups, as well as to examine appropriate mechanisms to achieve this.

Menon has mapped use and benefits related to the NPD’s data management and sharing. Values have been identified in terms of time and cost effects, quality effects and through innovation and advances that shared data would facilitate – but that would not be realised if the data was not made available.

The NPD manages almost 15 petabytes of data. The Menon report highlights the value that this data and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s data management add to the Norwegian society. Historically, the value of data has been under-communicated.

These are the main findings from the report:

  • Licensees and operators on the Norwegian shelf achieve estimated annual gains corresponding to NOK 1.5 billion in time and resources saved, as well as innovations and advances linked to the NPD’s data
  •  The NPD’s data is used for numerous purposes, and users therefore largely consider this an advantage
  •  The industry refers to the NPD’s data management as important input in the further development of the Norwegian petroleum industry
  •  The Norwegian Petroleum’s data is expected to play a vital role in facilitating and contributing towards more rapid development of new industries on the shelf, such as carbon storage and seabed minerals

Read the report ‘The values of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s data’ here (Norwegian only)

Contact

Ola Anders Skauby

Director Communication, public affairs and emergency response

Tel: +47 905 98 519

Updated: 6/12/2023

Latest news

Drilling permit for wellbore 15/8-3 S
6/23/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 15/8-3 S in production licence 1137.
Production figures May 2025
6/20/2025 Preliminary production figures for May 2025 show an average daily production of 1 980 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Appraisal well confirms oil discovery in the Norwegian Sea (6507/5-12 S)
6/19/2025 ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS, operator of production licence 891, has concluded drilling of the second appraisal well, 6507/5-12 S, on the 6507/5-10 S (Slagugle) oil discovery .
Expedition to map the environment
6/18/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has participated in research expeditions for many years in an effort to acquire more knowledge about the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) and the resources in the subsurface. Now we’ve also gathered environmental data.
Ensemble data: Updated version of guideline
6/16/2025 In 2023, a group under the FORCE umbrella drew up a guideline for sharing ensemble data in production licences. It has now been revised to incorporate feedback received.
One company offered acreage for CO2 storage
6/13/2025 Today, Equinor Low Carbon Solution AS has been offered an exploration licence for CO2 storage in the North Sea.
Drilling permit for wellbore 7117/4-1
6/12/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 7117/4-1 in production licence 1238.
Full house to hear about new technology on the NCS
6/6/2025 Technology is one of the tools that can help generate additional values from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). At Technology Day new technology from different suppliers are presented.
New interactive map of deep sea data
6/5/2025 Today, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate is launching an interactive map, Deep Sea Surveys.
New Director of Offshore development and technology
6/5/2025 Producing the resources on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) so they generate the greatest possible values for society is an important driving force for the Norwegian Offshore Directorate's new director.