In Leipzig, VNG – Verbundnetz Gas AG, Leipzig, and StatoilHydro ASA, Norway, marked their successful cooperation. The two companies have signed a periodic review of their mutual long term gas sales and purchase contract.

"The exisiting long term-contract we have with StatoilHydro ensures that, we can continue to make our contribution to reliable gas supplies for Europe in future," Klaus-Dieter Barbknecht, VNG Executive Board Member for Gas Procurement, underlined.

"I am pleased to be here to mark our long-term relationship with VNG. Overall, StatoilHydro takes great pride in being a major supplier of energy and a reliable gas supplier," said Rune Bjørnson, executive vice president for Natural Gas in StatoilHydro.

The signing was conducted on the occasion of a symposium organized by VNG marking 15 years of the energy partnership with Norwegian gas suppliers. VNG concluded its first agreement on the delivery of natural gas back in December 1993 – at that time signing the deal with the GFU, the Norwegian Gas Negotiating Committee. This agreement evolved into contracts with StatoilHydro, Eni, TOTAL and ExxonMobil of which StatoilHydro is the largest supplier of Norwegian gas to VNG.

The symposium was attended by numerous high-ranking representatives from politics and industry in Germany and Norway, including Prof. Klaus Töpfer, the former German Minster of the Environment and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Monica Liv Stubholt, State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, and Hartmut Schauerte, State Secretary at Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.

The symposium was also the setting for other agreements. VNG came to an understanding with Eni Norge AS, Stavanger, and TOTAL E&P NORGE AS, Stavanger, to intensify their successful cooperation. "These arrangements secure further volumes from Norway for VNG and strengthen long-term collaboration," Klaus-Dieter Barbknecht commented.

For Germany, the partnership with Norway is of high strategic importance, since approximately 83 percent of German gas demand is met by gas imported from foreign sources as the country does not have sufficient indigenous resources. 31 percent of gas imports come from Norwegian gas fields. "Norway’s role for European gas supplies cannot be rated highly enough. Norwegian gas producers have made a major contribution to diversifying VNG’s sources of supply," Prof. e. h. Dr. Klaus-Ewald Holst, Chairman of the Executive Board of VNG, explained. He also stated that close cooperation with Norway would remain essential for secure supplies in future. "We will also be breaking new ground and, in addition to imports, will systematically pursue the exploration and production of our own gas from Norway through our subsidiary VNG Norge," Holst added, explaining that the target is to produce up to 1.5 billion m³ of gas per year by 2020.

During the course of the 15-year period, there has also been significant development in German-Norwegian relations in areas other than gas supply. The energy partnership with Norway is today much more than simply an agreement on delivery volumes. In particular the exchange with Norway in the fields of art, science and sport which is strongly supported by VNG has contributed to intensifying German-Norwegian relations.

Tags: StatoilHydro, Verbundnetz Gas AG