Norway's combined oil and gas production exceeded an official forecast by 0.7 per cent in February thanks to a jump in crude outputeven as natural gas declined, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) said on Friday.
Norway is Europe's largest supplier of natural gas and a major producer of oil, but output varies from month to month depending on maintenance needs and other stoppages at close to 100 offshore fields.
Overall oil, condensate, natural gas liquids and gas output stood at 0.701 million standard cubic metres per day, equivalent to 4.41 million barrels of oil equivalent, an increase of 5.7 per cent year-on-year.
Natural gas production in February fell to 355.1 million cubic metres (mcm) per day from 356.4 mcm a year earlier, and lagged a forecast of 362.8 mcm by 2.1 per cent, the regulator said on its website.
Crude oil output rose to 1.97 million barrels per day (bpd) in February from 1.71 million bpd in the same month last year, and came in 5.7 per cent above a forecast of 1.86 million bpd, NOD's preliminary data showed.
(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Terje Solsvik)