Norway will continue developing oil and gas resources in the Barents Sea despite the European Union’s support for a moratorium on new Arctic drilling, Energy Minister Terje Aasland told Reuters. The EU is reviewing the policy as energy-security concerns grow, while Norway has become the largest natural-gas supplier to the European Union and Britain since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, meeting around 30% of their gas demand. Norway aims to keep petroleum production and exports near current levels until at least 2035, although official forecasts indicate output will fall sharply after 2030 without new resources. Equinor CEO Anders Opedal said Barents Sea oil and liquefied natural gas could be sold globally if the EU rejected them. French oil company Total also plans to appoint a manager to examine new Norwegian exploration projects, as European buyers seek supplies and maritime routes closer to home amid disruptions linked in the report to the United States’ war against Iran. Norway says the parts of the Barents Sea open to petroleum activity are ice-free and less vulnerable to oil spills, while Aasland maintains that developing them is Norway’s sovereign right. Norway is also moving away from its former “green battery” model, ruling out new power interconnectors while preserving cooperation with Europe’s electricity system.