? 挪威能源巨頭Equinor已同意維持最大天然氣產(chǎn)量，以幫助歐盟填充其天然氣儲存設(shè)施。  

? 挪威顯然無法覆蓋俄羅斯向歐洲供應的全部天然氣。  

? 盡管歐洲的液化天然氣（LNG）進口終端容量有限，然而，在能源危機的3個月里，歐洲一直是美國LNG出口的首選目的地。 

據(jù)美國油價網(wǎng)奧斯陸報道，挪威能源巨頭Equinor首席執(zhí)行官安德斯·奧佩德爾日前表示，Equinor將在今年春季和夏季保持最大天然氣產(chǎn)量，以幫助歐盟(EU)充實其天然氣儲存設(shè)施。

歐洲第2大管道天然氣供應商Equinor這一承諾出臺之際，人們?nèi)栽趽囊荒曛刑鞖廨^暖月份的天然氣供應，這通常是為冬季需求高峰期而填滿天然氣儲備的時間。 去年，歐洲大部分地區(qū)未能確保冬季有足夠的天然氣供應，從而引發(fā)了天然氣短缺。 

奧佩德爾日前在接受彭博社記者采訪時表示，挪威一直是歐洲可靠的合作伙伴，并將繼續(xù)向歐洲大陸提供盡可能多的天然氣。 歐洲面臨的問題是，可使用的天然氣還不到所需的一半。 事實上，要少得多。

據(jù)歐盟統(tǒng)計局(Eurostat)透露，歐盟去年上半年所需的46.8%天然氣是從俄羅斯進口的。 在此期間，挪威的天然氣進口量占歐盟天然氣進口總量的20.5%，不到俄羅斯向歐盟輸送天然氣總量的一半。

根據(jù)歐洲經(jīng)濟智庫Bruegel發(fā)布的數(shù)據(jù)，去年晚些時候，挪威每周向歐盟出口超過29億立方米的管道天然氣。 相比之下，俄羅斯的管道天然氣供應量略高于23億立方米。 然而，在去年上半年，俄羅斯天然氣工業(yè)股份公司保持了每周向歐洲輸送30多億立方米的天然氣，而挪威從未達到這一水平。

這種情況凸顯出歐盟在天然氣供應安全方面面臨的最大問題。 多年來，歐盟一直過度依賴俄羅斯，這滋生了前者的自滿情緒，并確信無論發(fā)生什么，俄羅斯都會繼續(xù)向歐洲輸送天然氣。

俄羅斯也有同樣的看法，但最近有關(guān)天然氣價格和烏克蘭的事件動搖了歐洲各國政府的看法，它們現(xiàn)在正急于尋找替代供應商，以備不時之需。 事實證明，這項任務(wù)可能比他們預期的更具挑戰(zhàn)性。

盡管挪威氣田需要在某個時候停下來進行維護，但挪威可能還能繼續(xù)以最大的采氣速度向歐洲供應一段時間的天然氣。 然而，挪威顯然無法滿足俄羅斯目前向歐洲供應的全部天然氣。 此外，隨著德國關(guān)閉煤炭和核電廠，挪威也無法滿足來自德國的額外需求。 

順帶一提，這就是俄羅斯北溪天然氣管道擴建的目的——確保無核和后來無煤的德國的天然氣供應。 目前，北溪-1管道輸送的天然氣占俄羅斯輸往歐洲天然氣總量的三分之一以上。 如果北溪-2管道項目的產(chǎn)能增加一倍，將使俄羅斯對歐洲的天然氣出口增加超過三分之二。

除了挪威，歐洲還有什么其他選擇? 中亞是一個選擇，更具體地說，阿塞拜疆已經(jīng)在通過意大利完成的南部天然氣走廊輸送一些天然氣。 歐洲唯一的另一種選擇是LNG。                                       

盡管歐洲LNG進口終端的接收能力有限，但由于能源危機，歐洲過去3個月來一直是美國LNG出口的首選目的地。 根據(jù)Refinitiv發(fā)布的數(shù)據(jù)，1月份美國多達75%的LNG產(chǎn)量出口到歐洲。 2月份到目前為止，美國一半的LNG貨物已運往歐洲。

卡塔爾和澳大利亞的LNG也是歐盟解決能源危機的選擇。 2月份，歐盟甚至暫停了對卡塔爾能源公司的反壟斷調(diào)查，這可能表明布魯塞爾愿意做出讓步以換取卡塔爾的天然氣。  

李峻 編譯自 美國油價網(wǎng)

原文如下：

Can Norwegian Natural Gas Solve Europe's Energy Crisis?

·     Norway’s Equinor has agreed to maintain maximum natural gas production rates to help the European Union fill its gas storage facilities.

·     Norway clearly cannot cover the whole amount of gas that Russia supplies to Europe.

·     Europe has been the top destination for U.S. liquefied natural gas for three months amid the energy crunch, despite limited LNG import terminal capacity.

Norway’s Equinor will maintain maximum natural gas production rates through the spring and summer to help the European Union fill its gas storage facilities, the company’s chief executive said this week.

The pledge comes amid continued concern about gas supplies into the warmer months of the year, which is typically the time storage is filled up for the peak demand period of winter. Last year, most of Europe failed to make sure it had enough gas for the winter, which sparked the gas crunch.

Speaking to Bloomberg this week, Equinor’s Anders Opedal said that Norway had always been a reliable partner of Europe and will continue to supply as much gas as it can to the continent as possible. The problem for Europe is that what’s possible is less than half of the gas it needs. Much less, in fact.

According to Eurostat, the EU imported 46.8 percent of its natural gas from Russia in the first half of last year. Norway, for its part, accounted for 20.5 percent of natural gas imports during that period—less than half of what Russia sent the EU’s way.

According to Bruegel, a European economics think tank, Norway exported over 2.9 billion cu m weekly to the EU in late 2021. This compared with a little over 2.3 billion cu m for Russia. During the first half of the year, however, Gazprom kept flows above 3 billion cu m weekly while Norway never reached that level.

The situation highlights the biggest problem that the EU has with its gas supply security. It has been over-reliant on Russia for years, and this has bred complacency and the certainty that whatever happens, Russia will continue shipping gas to Europe.

Russia shares the sentiment, but the recent events around gas prices and Ukraine have shaken it among European governments, which are now in a rush to find alternative suppliers in case they are needed. The task is proving more challenging than perhaps they had expected.

Norway can probably keep pumping at maximum for a while longer, although it would need to stop for maintenance at some point. Yet Norway clearly cannot cover the whole amount of gas that Russia supplies to Europe right now. Also, it can’t cover the additional demand that will be coming from Germany as it closes its coal and nuclear power plants.

This was the point of the Nord Stream route expansion, by the way—ensuring supply for nuclear-free and, later, coal-free Germany. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline currently ships more than a third of Russian gas exports to Europe. Doubling its capacity with Nord Stream 2 of course—will make it fit to handle more than two-thirds of Russia’s gas exports to Europe.

What other options does Europe have besides Norway? Central Asia is an option, and more specifically Azerbaijan, which is already shipping some gas through the Southern Gas Corridor ending in Italy. The only other alternative is LNG.

Europe has been the top destination for U.S. liquefied natural gas for three months amid the energy crunch, despite limited LNG import terminal capacity. According to data from Refinitiv reported by Reuters, as much as 75 percent of U.S. LNG exports went to Europe last month. So far this month, half of all U.S. LNG cargos have been sent to Europe.

Qatar and Australia are also LNG options for the EU. The union even suspended an antitrust investigation into Qatar Petroleum—recently renamed QatarEnergy—this month in what might be a sign Brussels is willing to make concessions in exchange for gas.