Norway looks ahead to even closer cooperation with Germany on energy

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said he is looking forward to cooperating with Germany even more closely on energy and other issues during a visit to a drilling platform, reported dpa.

"We have seen since last year a quite spectacular acceleration of Norwegian-German energy cooperation," Støre told dpa during the visit to the Troll A drilling site.

"I think it will increase. Germany is Norway's most important European partner."

Wind power, carbon storage and hydrogen are all areas for further cooperation, he said. "We have a roadmap on industrial energy cooperation which brings us very close together."

Germany is Norway's most important European partner, evidenced by the country's recent decision to buy new Leopard 2 tanks from Germany.

The two nations' cooperation is founded on their political partnership. Norway values the fact that the German government shows interest in and knowledge of matters in the north, Støre said.

He visited the drilling site on Friday together with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The Troll gas field, which contains about 40% of Norway's gas reserves, is considered a central pillar of Norway's natural gas production.

The field, west of Bergen, also covered more than 11% of gas consumption within the EU last year.

Norway's gas supplies are important for Europe's security, Støre said.

"It's important for Europe to have a democratic partner in an energy world of not so democratic partners," he said.

Germany became Norway's most important export country in 2022, mainly as Berlin sought new sources of natural gas, in a hasty bid to wean itself off cheap Russian supplies due to the war on Ukraine.

Last year, Berlin imported goods worth around 726 billion Norwegian kroner ($67.9 billion), with gas supplies alone accounting for 621 billion kroner.