Norway in February 2009 will mark what many believe was the seventh year of falling oil production, although the country’s gas fields have never produced more.

Norway produced 36.5 million barrels of oil less throughout most of 2008 than the year before and finished up producing 2.2 million barrels per day.

While much of Europe ekes out a living on African, Russian or Middle Eastern Gas, Norway was producing more gas than ever by December 2008: 8.6 billion standard cubic metres more were produced through to November over the same period in 2007, good for 89.2 Bcm.

Full figures for the year come out in February.

A leaking gas pipeline at the 6 Bcm Kvitibjorn field’s export pipeline and 2008’s voluntary closures for maintenance and modifcations failed to dent Norwegian petro-production, now at 135.9 MM bpd of oil, gas, light oil and natural gas liquids.