Norway is prepared to meet Europe’s high demand for gas next winter

Norway's natural gas export system is ready to meet Europe's high demand during the upcoming cold season, Gassco, the operator of the Scandinavian country's gas pipeline network, announced on Thursday. The statement comes ahead of October 1, which marks the beginning of the new gas year and the peak period for deliveries to Europe.

Gassco has completed the scheduled maintenance work that temporarily reduced exports in September. The operator said the transmission system is functioning properly and that the Norwegian continental shelf can ensure the necessary deliveries throughout the winter.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Norway became Europe's leading natural gas supplier. Fields operated by Equinor and other companies cover approximately 30% of demand in the European Union and the United Kingdom.

In 2025, Gassco transported 114.9 billion cubic metres of gas through an 8,800-kilometre network to Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and Denmark. Since the beginning of the year, deliveries have reached 86.2 billion cubic metres, 2.1 billion cubic metres above the level recorded during the same period in 2025.

Meanwhile, European storage facilities are below the multi-year average, while gas prices doubled in 2026, reaching approximately €73 per megawatt-hour. The European Commission recently warned of the risk of an energy price crisis and called on member states to continue filling storage facilities and reducing consumption.