Germany and Norway will expand cooperation in the energy sector.

But Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Störe does not currently see opportunities to transport more gas to Germany and Europe.

Norway has increased gas production after the Russian attack on Ukraine by almost 10 percent, Störe emphasized after a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Oslo.

"We are currently supplying as much as we can.

We cannot decide politically that now we will supply more", he says, and the government does not decide whether gas production can be expanded.

This is the company's decision.

For greater production in Norway, additional gas reserves must be brought into operation.

With this, after Qatar, Germany's hope that it can replace Russian gas very quickly falls.

Chancellor Scholz thanked Norway for "using up to the limit" gas reserves.

"This is very important, to reduce dependence on Russian gas.

Oslo's promise to maintain the high level of production is important, because even in 2023 there will be great needs for gas.

Not only this winter is a big challenge for Germany.

Even in the next year, the gas tanks must be filled.

We want to expand and deepen our energy partnership", said Scholz.

Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the North

Scholz attended the meeting of the Northern Ministerial Council in Oslo, where the prime ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland participated alongside him and Störe.

The main topics were energy supply and the security situation.

As never before, Norway provides gas to Europe and Germany.

Supplies from Norway since the beginning of the war in Ukraine have increased significantly.

In Germany, the share of Norwegian gas now accounts for 30 percent of the supply, thus surpassing Russia.

Currently, about 20 percent of the promised quantity comes from Russia through 'Nord Stream I'.

Whereas the EU imports about 20 percent of gas from Norway.

After the Russian attack against Ukraine, the Ministry of Energy in Oslo modified the gas extraction licenses for gas fields in order to obtain more gas.

But production and pipeline capacities are in maximum use.

"For Norway, it is now a matter of using new resources to further increase exports," said Störe.

This country will supply Germany even further with liquefied gas.

"Norway can be trusted," said Scholz.

The Nordic countries and Germany will cooperate more closely in the future in the energy field.

"Germany has entered the great challenge of obtaining renewable energy, but the move away from fossil energies will not be easy and without turbulence", concluded Stören.

Scholz also visits Sweden, where NATO's northern expansion will be discussed.

/Deutsche Welle/