Earnings Call Transcript
EQUINOR ASA (EQNR)
Earnings Call Transcript - EQNR Q4 2023
Bard Glad Pedersen, Investor Relations Head
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It's a pleasure to welcome you all to the presentation of Equinor's 2023 Results and Capital Markets update. My name is Bard Glad Pedersen, and I'm heading up Investor Relations. Before we start, I want to give some safety instructions for those of us here in the room. If an emergency situation should occur, the evacuation signal is a voice alarm. Please note that we only evacuate if the voice announcement says that we should do so. Then please use the fire exits, follow the signs and messages from the guards. The procedure during an evacuation is to exit and disperse safely away from the building. And then further notice will be given during normalization. Today, we will have four presentations in the preliminary session. First, our CEO, Anders Opedal. Then the EVPs for EPN and TDI, that is Kjetil Hove and Hege Skryseth. And finally, our CFO, Torgrim Reitan. After the presentations, we will have a Q&A session in this room. And the full CC team is here and available and ready to answer your questions. During the Q&A, we will also take questions from those of you following us online. After the Q&A, we have three breakout sessions. One with Anders and Torgrim. The second, with the EVPs for EPI and PDP, Philippe Mathieu and Geir Tungesvik. And the third with the EVPs for REN and MMP, Pal Eitrheim and Irene Rummelhoff. Finally, let me remind you that this presentation includes forward-looking statements and non-GAAP measures, and we refer you to Slide number 2 in the pack in this respect. Then we are ready to start, and I hand it over to you, Anders.
Anders Opedal, CEO
So thank you, Bard, and welcome to all of you. It's really good to see you here in London, and I've looked forward to meet all of you today. Let me start with my key messages. We present strong results for 2023. Second, we deliver on what we said last year, and are on track for our 2030 ambitions. Third, we provide visibility for the cash flow growth and transition all the way to 2035. And finally, we sustained returns and continue to deliver competitive capital distribution. Geopolitics remain tense in 2024, with wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Uncertainty and volatility continue to impact economic growth, transition frameworks, and energy markets. Despite all uncertainties, one thing is clear: Energy security and energy transition will be on top of all societies’ agenda. In this environment, Equinor’s strategy is resilient, secures transition and growth, and we remain firm on our direction. We are developing the energy solutions for tomorrow, while securing the energy needed today. We believe in a balanced energy transition and will develop new growth engines to stay competitive long-term. Our market position in Europe, and our industrial legacy from the Norwegian continental shelf, is a strong competitive advantage. Currently, European gas storage levels are high, and industrial demand is below average. Forward prices have come down for 2024 and for 2025 but are at higher levels than we have been accustomed to in the past. We see signs of demand recovery in Europe and higher demand in Asia; this may put upward pressure on prices. We are well positioned, and our strong project pipeline gives us line of sight to 2035. We can deliver a stronger cash flow, a broader energy offering, and lower emissions. I will revert to this, but first, our 2023 results. The safety of our people is our number one priority. Last year, we had a tragic fatality when a crewmember fell overboard from a contracted LPG tanker in Malaysia. It made a deep impact on all of us. Together with the ship owner, we follow up on the incident and implement learnings. Our key safety indicators have improved over several years, and we maintain this level for 2023. However, we are not satisfied, and we will continue our efforts to improve. Our goal is clear: All our people returning safely home from work, every day. Securing our assets is important to safeguard our people, operations, and energy security. We have continued to improve by implementing new measures and closer collaboration with authorities and industry partners. In 2023, we delivered strong results, with adjusted earnings of $36 billion. This is our second-best result ever. We set the bar high at our Capital Markets update last year. And we have delivered around $20 billion in cash flow from operations after tax and capital distribution as communicated. Overall, our financial performance was strong, with a 25% return on capital employed. Last year we increased our guidance for the midstream segment. And we have delivered in, or above, the range for all quarters. In total, $3.2 billion. We produced close to 2.1 million barrels per day with a CO2 intensity of 6.7 kilos per barrel. This is less than half of the industry average. Gross CapEx share, to renewables and low carbon was 20%. We are on track to above 30% by 2025 and above 50% by 2030. And we added 8 gigawatts to our renewables project pipeline. In summary; we are on track, delivering on our strategy and on our energy transition plan. This is hard work, in a challenging and competitive context. I am proud of the strong efforts by competent colleagues across Equinor. Through the year, we welcomed around 2000 new colleagues, replacing and renewing competence, demonstrating our continued attractiveness in a tight labor market. We are on track to our 2030 ambitions, delivering on our strategy. We demonstrate transition, profitability, and growth, coming from the actions already taken. And for the first time, we extend our outlook further, to 2035. We are changing. We will grow our cash flow and become stronger. We will transition and be broader. And we will cut emissions as a leading company in the energy transition. In 2035, we expect a stronger cash flow. Oil, gas, and trading are expected to contribute with an annual average of around $20 billion after tax, all the way to 2035. Cash flow from renewables and low carbon solutions comes on top of this. We expect this to be around $3 billion in 2030, increasing to more than $6 billion in 2035. We will transition and grow while maintaining profitability. We expect around $13 billion of CapEx in 2024 and indicate $14 billion to $15 billion in 2025 to 2027. It is important to note that Empire Wind is fully included here, consolidated in our accounts and with 100% ownership. Excluding this effect, our CapEx outlook is fully consistent with what we said last year. Remember, we intend to use project financing and farm-down at the right time, which would then reduce the CapEx. Towards 2030, we expect above 15% return on capital employed. And we target to maintain around 15% to 2035. Torgrim will share more when he is on stage. Our energy mix will be broader in 2035. We expect to produce more than 80 terawatt-hours of renewable power and decarbonized energy. At the same time, we increase our ambition for CO2 transport and storage, targeting 30 to 50 million tons per year by 2035. We will continue cutting our own emissions, and we will increase renewables, decarbonized energy, and carbon storage. With this, we expect to reduce our net carbon intensity by 40% by 2035. Our oil and gas portfolio will create value well beyond this decade. Our three-year average of organic reserve replacement ratio is 107%. We have profitable projects coming on stream, with an average break-even price of around $35 per barrel. Maintaining this level, with the recent cost inflation, demonstrates capital discipline and improvements. Johan Castberg is the first of the big projects expected to come online late this year. We expect to increase our production by more than 5% from 2023 to 2026 and deliver around 2 million barrels per day in 2030. We have a pipeline of projects to halve emissions from operations by 2030, and about half of the projects needed to achieve this are already approved by the government. We expect to progress more projects this year. Towards 2030, we expect annual investments of around $10 billion in oil and gas, and get an average of around $20 billion back in cash flow from operations after tax. Our oil and gas portfolios in Norway and internationally are distinct. Internationally, we are improving the quality of the portfolio, and we expect to increase the cash flow by 50% by 2030. On the Norwegian continental shelf, we have a unique position and can increase recovery, creating high value for longer well into next decade. Let me share some details. Our international portfolio is becoming more robust and profitable. Last year, we announced divestments in Nigeria and Azerbaijan. We continued to deepen in core areas with a final investment decision on Rosebank in the UK, Raia in Brazil, and Sparta in the U.S. These large projects bring high value growth, and we expect to increase our international oil and gas production to around 800 thousand barrels per day in 2030. But more importantly: We expect the cash flow to grow more than the production. Therefore, cash flow per barrel will be $5 higher. In total, we expect to grow our production by 15% and our cash flow from operations by more than 50% from 2024 to 2030, and keep this level towards 2035. This is quality improvement. On the Norwegian continental shelf, we work systematically to drive long-term production. We know the geology; we have the expertise, competence, and technology. The infrastructure is already paid for and will be decarbonized. We use all of this as we plan wells, develop projects and increase recovery. This enables high production for longer at around 1.2 million barrels per day in 2035. Hege and Kjetil will share how we work and implement new technology to create high value for longer. We expect to continue to deliver 40 bcm of gas to Europe, Equinor's share, on average to 2035. We have low cost and low emissions, with an average supply cost to Europe below $2 per mmbtu. We have proven our ability to deliver renewable projects and value creation. We are firm on our strategy, flexible in execution, and have adapted to the market conditions. The acquisitions of the onshore platforms Wento, BeGreen, and Rio Energy contribute with capacity and cash flow. Recently, we started our first commercial battery storage in the UK. Our trading company, Danske Commodities, brings additional returns. Danske already has more than 12 gigawatts of assets under management. In total, we are developing an integrated power portfolio. In the U.S., we are high-grading our offshore wind portfolio, taking full ownership of the Empire Wind project and have delivered a bid for the fourth bid round in New York. This solution creates significant value, and we intend to use project financing and farm-down to reduce exposure and increase returns. Equinor is well positioned in a long-term growth market. We have accessed our renewable pipeline to achieve the ambition of 12 to 16 gigawatts of installed capacity by 2030. We aim to deliver above 65 terawatt-hours of renewable power by 2035. Real project return is the foundation for prioritization and ensuring capital discipline. On top, we capture additional value, pulling different levers depending on the project and the market. We achieve nominal equity returns of 12% to 16% both for Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, and for our solar plants in Europe. The framework for CO2 storage is improving rapidly. Based on our project pipeline, we increase our ambition for CO2 storage, targeting 30 to 50 million tons per year by 2035. Our first commercial CO2 storage facility, Northern Lights, is on track to be completed this year. This kickstarts the market for CO2 transport and storage needed to reduce emissions for the hard-to-abate industries. Based on almost 30 years of experience with safely storing CO2, we expect to grow this as a business. We expect real returns of 4% to 8% for the early phase, when we build markets and there is government support. As markets are more developed and commercialized, we expect higher returns. With profitability and volumes, low carbon solutions will be a source for long-term cash flow. Then, turning to capital distribution. Today we present an outlook for cash flow growth and strong returns. For me, it is important that this is reflected also in our capital distribution. The Board proposes a 17% step-up in the ordinary cash dividend to $0.35 per share. Our dividend policy is to grow the annual cash dividend in line with underlying earnings, and this remains firm. To increase predictability, we now state our ambition to grow the ordinary cash dividend by $0.02 per year going forward. In addition to growing the ordinary cash dividend, we also propose an extraordinary cash dividend of $0.35 for the fourth quarter. This brings the total cash dividend to $0.70 per share. The Board is clear on its intention to continue the extraordinary dividend for the first three quarters of 2024, and then expects to conclude the use of extraordinary dividends. Share buyback is an integrated part of our capital distribution. We continue our program from 2021 of annual buybacks of $1.2 billion, but based on our balance sheet and the plans we present today, we will do more in 2024 and 2025. We announce a two-year buyback program of $10 billion to $12 billion in total. For 2024, we continue the buyback level from last year, of $6 billion. In total, this gives a capital distribution to shareholders of $14 billion in 2024, $8 billion to $10 billion in 2025, and increased predictability for the future. I will not repeat all the numbers, but let me sum up: We are positioned for transition and growth. Towards 2035, we can deliver a stronger cash flow from a broader energy mix with lower emissions. With strong returns, we continue competitive capital distribution with increased predictability. Thank you all for your attention. I really look forward to all your questions later. As Bard said, I’m joined here with a full executive team, and we are happy to answer all the questions. But first, Kjetil, the floor is yours.
Kjetil Hove, EVP
Thank you, Anders. The Norwegian continental shelf continues to deliver solid results, and we expect to deliver solid production and cash flow all the way to 2035. The picture on the front page you see the Breidablikk field, which is tied back to the Grane platform, and the picture is selected for a reason. We delivered Breidablikk four months ahead of plan and below budget, demonstrating our project execution skills. In addition, it visualizes what we are doing on the Norwegian continental shelf. Grane was put on stream more than 20 years ago. According to the initial development plan, the field should have been close to life-end by now. Based on consistent investments in Infrastructure Led Exploration and Increased Oil Recovery, the platform is now producing above 100,000 barrels and is expected to be in production until 2060 at least. Now, we are working on decarbonizing that production by electrifying the installation, reducing the carbon intensity to below 0.1 kg CO2 per barrel within 2030. This is what we are doing on the Norwegian continental shelf; we are utilizing our infrastructure and capabilities built through the last 50 years. We are maintaining a high production level, thereby creating a long-term cash flow while reducing our CO2 emissions. In 2023, we delivered a strong cash flow from the NCS. At the same time, we reduced CO2 emissions from our operations. In 2023 and 2024, our CO2 emissions will be reduced by more than 10%, and at the same time, we will have production growth. Towards 2035, we expect to maintain the production level from the NCS at the same level as we started this decade—1.2 million barrels of oil per day. This will generate an average annual cash flow from operations after tax of around $12 billion from 2024 all the way to 2035. To deliver this, we plan to invest at an average level of around $6 billion annually towards 2035. These investments will focus on four main areas: delivering on our sanctioned project portfolio, maturing and sanctioning our large non-sanctioned project portfolio, increasing the recovery from our fields, and developing discoveries from our extensive infrastructure-led exploration effort. We will also invest in decarbonizing our production, reducing our CO2 footprint by 50% in 2030, 70% in 2040, and close to zero in 2050. We have a very robust project portfolio in the execution phase on the NCS. We have 21 projects with an average breakeven of less than $35 per barrel and a payback time of less than 1.5 years. The project portfolio will have a CO2 footprint of less than 4 kilos of CO2 per barrel since most of the projects are tie-backs to installations that are or will be electrified. This project portfolio will add around 250,000 barrels and give us production growth towards 2026. In addition to the large sanctioned project portfolio, we have an even larger number of non-sanctioned projects. We have more than 30 projects that we are maturing towards investment decisions in the coming years. The projects are in an early maturation phase, but we expect an average breakeven of the portfolio of around $35 per barrel and a payback time of around 1.5 years. For many of the new subsea tie-back fields, we are looking into new ways of working to reduce the maturation and execution time and the cost level by at least 30%. This will reduce the breakeven for these fields compared to a more standard subsea development. This will be done through new technologies such as Cap-X subsea wells and by taking out portfolio synergies. These projects will give us around 350,000 barrels in production after 2030 and will therefore be an important contributor for us to maintain the production level after 2030. These projects will have even lower CO2 emissions since they will be tied back to electrified installations. Additionally, we believe there is still attractive remaining exploration potential on the NCS. These are high-value barrels since they can be tied back to existing infrastructure that is already paid for and decarbonized. We are therefore planning to drill 20 to 30 exploration wells on the Norwegian continental shelf towards 2035. In this decade, we plan to be closer to 30 wells yearly, and more than 70% of them will be in licenses that we already hold. The remaining wells will be drilled in licenses from the annual license round. This year we were awarded 39 new licenses, which is one of the largest awards we have ever had on the Norwegian continental shelf. Our exploration strategy is that around 80% of the exploration wells will be drilled close to the infrastructure in known exploration plays. This is normally low-risk exploration, with a high probability of success. New discoveries can be put on stream quickly since they will require limited new infrastructure. A recent example is the Obelix discoveries last year, which revitalized the deep-water Norwegian Sea close to the Aasta Hansteen field. The remaining 20% of the exploration wells will be drilled in new plays, still quite close to our infrastructure. These are higher potential wells, but with somewhat higher risk than the pure Infrastructure Led Exploration targets. These wells can open new plays also in known areas, such as the Kveikje, the Heisenberg, and the Norma discoveries during the last years. Discoveries that you may not have heard about, but should not underestimate. Because there are many of them, and these could open new plays with large potential on the NCS. The key driver for our view on the potential on the Norwegian continental shelf is the investments that we have made in new exploration seismic over the last five years. This is seismic with “fit for purpose” technologies that reveals potential that we did not see on our legacy seismic, and Hege will revert back to this later. After 2030, we expect that we will get 100,000 to 300,000 barrels per day from our infrastructure-led exploration effort. By adding the investments in projects, increased recovery, and infrastructure-led exploration, we expect to deliver 1.2 million barrels per day in 2035. Our ability to develop and utilize new technology has been a key reason for our value creation on the NCS over the last 50 years. Also, in the next decades, we believe technology will enhance value creation on the NCS. We are, therefore, planning to invest $300 million to $400 million annually on technology development on the Norwegian continental shelf in the coming years. So Hege, can you please elaborate on the technology efforts that we are doing on the Norwegian continental shelf?
Hege Skryseth, EVP
Good afternoon, everyone. It's a pleasure to be here. We are now rescanning our core areas on the NCS, all over again for remaining resources. A very good example is the Troll area, where we have 500 million barrels proven with a significant upside potential. This equals a full year of NCS production. We identify opportunities that were not visible to us before. This is due to: First, over the past two years, we have invested $200 million in new high-quality exploration seismic. With technologies like ocean bottom and topside seismic, both representing a step change in image quality. This is on top of the 70 petabytes, which is a huge number of legacy seismic and well data that we already have. Second, to significantly increase insights and speed, we have developed AI-based technologies using deep learning algorithms. These recognize complex patterns in pictures, sound waves, and other data sets. What used to take weeks now takes hours. Third, by combining this with the unique confidence that we have on the NCS, we see that mature areas are still very prospective. We are targeting all core areas of the NCS, such as Sleipner and Johan Castberg. For these two alone, we have identified 37 high-quality leads and prospects. To ensure competitiveness, both on the NCS and in our international portfolio, we are constantly seeking improvements through technology. This includes safety, emission reduction, value generation, and cost. In 2019, we opened our Integrated Operation Centre in Bergen. Here, we monitor a huge amount of data from our offshore operations to optimize production and improve decision-making. The value created from increased production and reduced CO2 emissions was more than $2 billion in 2023. To reduce unplanned downtime, we are widely implementing predictive maintenance. A single instance on Kårstø allowed our experts to detect an emerging failure and save $30 million. Innovative power in Equinor is also highly engaged in developing new value chains. Let me highlight a few examples. Building on the great experience from our Integrated Operation Centre, we are introducing new digital solutions for operation and maintenance on the Dogger Bank wind farm. These solutions are currently not available in the market. This will extend the lifetime from 25 to 35 years, allowing us to increase revenues in the merchant period, reduce operational costs, and increase efficiency. Our venture team is actively engaged with startups all over the world. The collaboration between startups and an industrial player like Equinor creates massive synergies. Last year, we entered into a strategic partnership with Captura to develop an industrial-scale solution to remove CO2 from the ocean. We will pilot Captura's Direct Ocean Capture technology at Kårstø. The captured CO2 is planned to be used for commissioning the Northern Light facilities. This pilot is an important step towards commercializing ocean capture technology. To sum up, we are stepping up our innovation. We are investing $800 million in 2024 in R&D. We are combining partnerships with confidence, data, technology, and, of course, fully utilizing the opportunities within AI. This is how we will secure longevity and competitiveness on the NCS and beyond and unlock new business opportunities in the value chain. Thank you. And with that, I welcome Torgrim up on stage.
Torgrim Reitan, CFO
So good afternoon, everyone. Very good to see you, see you again as always. Thank you, Hege. So three things: We aim to grow cash flow from operations all the way to 2025, and we aim to maintain a strong return on capital employed while we do this. Based on this growth and a strong return, we are going to step up the ordinary capital distribution. And we are going to provide you with a competitive capital distribution. But let me start with the 2023 results. The solid operational performance and production growth led to strong results in the quarter and for the year. The cash flow from operations came in at $19.7 billion, in line with what we said in the Capital Markets Day last year. Strategically, we saw solid progress in the quarter, optimizing our oil and gas portfolio and announced divestments in Nigeria and Azerbaijan. The long-term gas sales agreement with SEFE will provide Europe with 10 billion cubic meters of gas until 2034, with an option to prolong that to 2039. This is one of the largest gas sales that we have done, and I think it demonstrates very well the long-term attractiveness of natural gas to Europe. The international production was strong through the year, and the increased capacity at Johan Sverdrup contributed well. Renewables production came in 17% higher than last year, and gas-to-power from Triton Power was lower in the quarter due to weaker spark spreads. Then, to the financials: We continued to deliver strong earnings, impacted by lower prices per unit than the year before. Adjusted earnings in E&P Norway totaled $7.6 billion before tax, driven primarily by higher production. Our International segment delivered more than $850 million in total, while the U.S. business was impacted by an exploration expense of around $160 million. The marketing and midstream segment came in at the lower end of the guided range for the quarter, mainly due to lower liquids margins. However, MMP has delivered within or above the increased guided range for four consecutive quarters. Our Renewables business posted negative results due to the high project activity level, as expected. Our adjusted OpEx and SG&A is up 7%, similar to the production growth that we have seen quarter-to-quarter. The underlying cost increase is also around 7% when you adjust for currency and one-offs. So our focus on cost and capital discipline continues. Tax rates were high in the quarter, largely due to one-off effects in E&P Norway and EPI. In addition, MMP's tax rate was higher, driven by the high share of earnings from natural gas. Finally, we report a net impairment of slightly above $300 million in the quarter related to the Azerbaijan divestments. However, we expect to post a gain on the Nigeria divestments when that closes. The cash flow from operations after tax came in at $19.7 billion. Our organic net CapEx is $10.2 billion for the full year, also in line with our guidance. For the fourth quarter, NCS tax payments totaled around $8 billion. For the first half of 2024, we expect to pay three installments of NOK 37 billion each. Last quarter, capital distribution was significant at $3.2 billion. Our balance sheet is strong with $39 billion in cash, which brings our net debt ratio to negative 22% by the end of the year. So now let me move to the Capital Markets update, where I will share how we will grow cash flow all the way to 2035 from a broader portfolio with lower emissions, delivering strong returns and competitive capital distribution while doing all of this. Looking at our financial framework, value over volume is fundamental to the way we are building our business. This supports a return on capital employed above 15%. Our long-term guidance for our net debt ratio is 15% to 30%. We are well positioned and comfortable operating below this level, but we will move towards this range using capital distribution as one of our tools. With the $14 billion distribution for 2024, we expect our net debt to be positive by year-end. We are robust to lower prices and can be cash flow neutral at around $55 per barrel. This is a slight increase from last year, impacted by increased CapEx. We remain disciplined, and we have large flexibility in our investment program to handle a low-price scenario. We are progressing in line with our energy transition plan. Within this framework, we expect to deliver strong and growing cash flow for many years to come. In the middle here, you see around $20 billion per year coming from oil, gas, and trading. On top of that, $3 billion from renewables and low carbon solutions in 2030. This is an increase compared to what we said last year. The blue bars show our cash flow at different price decks. In the middle of the bar, you see the $75 case, and you can see that it grows significantly through this decade. We expect $23 billion in 2030. Of that, oil and gas is expected to be $20 billion on average per year. For 2024, the number is around $17.5 billion, impacted by the tax lag on the NCS, but coming back above $20 billion in 2025. In the appendix, you can find an overview of sensitivities for different prices. On top of the orange bar, you can see the material contribution from renewables and low carbon towards the end of the decade. The green bars show CapEx which remains stable at around $10 billion per year. We intend to farm down in some of our international projects with a high ownership share, such as our Rosebank project in the U.K., and this is included. You can also see the gradually growing investments in renewables and low carbon as we have planned. For 2024, we guide on an organic CapEx of around $13 billion. Empire Wind in New York will now be fully consolidated into our accounts, increasing our reported CapEx by around $1.2 billion in 2024 and $1.5 billion the year after. That asset is fully reflected in our CapEx guidance with 100% ownership. The development of Empire Wind is subject to a positive result in the fourth bid round in New York. For 2025 to 2027, we expect annual CapEx of $14 billion to $15 billion on average. However, keep in mind, for the Empire Wind project, we intend to use project financing and aim to farm down at the right time, which would lead to a reduction in CapEx. We have significant CapEx flexibility with more than half of our CapEx linked to non-sanctioned projects from 2025 going forward. We operate most of our investments ourselves. As you have heard from Anders, we see cash flow growth towards 2035. Oil and gas continues to deliver around $20 billion per year, and we aim to double the cash flow from renewables and low carbon to more than $6 billion. As we grow and transition, we will prioritize value over volume and aim for a return on capital employed of 15% in 2035. We have an attractive oil and gas project portfolio with low breakevens around $35 per barrel, high returns at 30% IRR, short payback times, and low carbon intensity of less than 6 kilos per barrel. We work with our partners and suppliers to drive down costs and improve projects. As you know, we will not sanction projects unless they are good enough. We have been able to keep the breakeven at around $35 per barrel despite inflation; this is driven by our people constantly chasing improvements. Take Rosebank as an example, where we have reduced FPSO costs by 50% and subsea and drilling costs by 40%. Oil and gas is a large part of our future, and investments will be stable through the decade. Production is expected to be stable this year, but we expect to see more than 5% growth toward 2026. In 2030, our international production is expected to grow by around 100,000 barrels per day to around 800,000. The great Bacalhau FPSO will contribute well to the 50% growth in cash flow from the international portfolio. As you heard from Kjetil, we are determined to deliver production and cash flow all the way to 2035 from the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Behind me, you can also see the expected allocation of capital between Norway and internationally and between existing fields and new fields. We also invest in abatement projects, although relatively small in share, they will have a very large impact on CO2 reductions. Now over to renewables and low carbon solutions. Today, I want to focus on how the $3 billion in cash flow is built up and the composition of the investment program. Our renewables and low carbon portfolio is now of a materiality where we have a line of sight to a significant cash flow in 2030 and beyond. So far, we have created value through cycles. As we have grown, we have accessed opportunities early. We have divested when prices were high, and we have maintained discipline. Our efforts are starting to pay off. Based on risk in that portfolio, we see a cash flow contribution of around $3 billion by 2030. We aim to more than double this by 2035, as we have said. How do we allocate CapEx? In 2023, 20% of our gross CapEx was towards these two businesses. As we have said earlier, we aim to increase this to more than 30% in 2025 and to more than 50% by 2030. It is important to note that this is gross CapEx and includes project financing in joint ventures, which is not included in the accounts. Our organic net CapEx or reported CapEx will be significantly lower as we indicated on this slide. We remain value-focused and disciplined. Today, we are presenting the capital distribution program for 2024, giving more predictability and a way towards a more effective capital structure. So Anders presented the main elements. In total, the program sums up to $14 billion in 2024 and $8 billion to $10 billion in 2025. The extraordinary cash dividend is based on past earnings, and we intend to continue with $0.35 for the first three quarters of 2024. However, after that, we expect to conclude the use of extraordinary cash dividend. For share buybacks, we present a two-year program of $10 billion to $12 billion in total. The first tranche of $1.2 billion will start tomorrow based on the existing approval from the AGM. We have been clear that we intend to use capital distribution as a tool to achieve a more effective capital structure. This capital distribution program translates into a total yield of around 17% based on the current share price. Before I conclude, let me go over our formal guiding. For 2024, we expect organic net CapEx of around $13 billion and stable oil and gas production for the year, impacted by divestments in Azerbaijan and Nigeria, and higher planned turnarounds. For renewables, we expect to double our production. In summary, I hope that we have shown you that we are in a very good position to deliver a stronger and growing cash flow all the way to 2035 from a broader portfolio with lower emissions while maintaining a strong return on capital employed. We will provide you with competitive capital distribution. Thank you very much. I hand it back to you, Bard, to guide us through the Q&A session.
Operator, Operator
In Azerbaijan and Nigeria, as well as with increased planned turnarounds, we expect to double our production in renewables. In summary, I hope we have demonstrated that we are well-positioned to deliver stronger and growing cash flow through 2035 from a broader portfolio with lower emissions, while also maintaining a strong return on capital employed. We will offer competitive capital distribution. Thank you very much. I now turn it over to you, Bard, to lead us through the Q&A session.
Bard Glad Pedersen, Investor Relations Head
Thank you, Torgrim, and thank you also to Anders, Kjetil, and Hege. Anders will also join on stage here for the Q&A session, and then the executive team is here on the first row and can also take questions. I ask that you use the microphone when you ask questions and that you introduce yourself for the benefit of those following the webcast. I have had no success in the past by asking you to limit yourself to one question. Therefore, I ask at least that you try to limit yourself to two questions each. So then we are ready to go. Maybe Oswald Clint from Bernstein, you want to start? You will get the microphone, yes.
Oswald Clint, Analyst
Thank you very much. Oswald Clint at Bernstein. Two questions, please. First one, I just want to go through your gas price assumptions, please. Your $13 next two years and $9 thereafter, and the low case is even $8 and $6. You guys are experts in natural gas markets. I think the market is probably worried that prices could go a lot lower, especially in that thereafter bucket. So just talk about your views now. You talked about Germany, the big contract, the biggest contracts. Is there anything structurally different as you think about gas prices through this next three to five-year period, please? Secondly, interesting, you're stretching out to 2035 when others are contracting to 2025. But this great chart of NCS Norway is quite surprising, especially with the improved oil and gas recovery plus the ILX. I mean, I thought ILX was mostly done. I thought we played that card last decade, improved recovery. Norway is the leader globally, quite surprised to see so much in the presentation, especially around ocean bottom seismic, which has been around for a while. So maybe just talk more about the confidence here you have what’s changed and 37 prospects around Sleipner and Troll. Can you communicate the success around things like that potentially through the year, just to give us confidence? Thank you.
Anders Opedal, CEO
Thank you. Great questions. I will start a little bit on both of those, but I also want to bring in Irene on the gas and Kjetil to continue bringing the confidence on the Norwegian continental shelf. But first of all, I found two very interesting data points recently in the gas market. The first one is we have seen demand going down with increased prices and because of the Russian gas going out of the equation. But we see now that the industry demand for gas in Europe, France, and Germany is actually picking up. It was a 10% increase over last year, seeing that the energy prices are not necessarily now hampering economic growth and the development of the industry. At the same time, we also see a 9% increase in the gas demand in China; in fact, China now surpasses Europe in demand. So clearly, there is some kind of turning point in terms of demand that has been on decline for a while after the war. We also have all the weather and so on. So Irene will say a little bit more about this with LNG and some of the recent developments there. On the Norwegian continental shelf, ILX—no, it’s not. I think the Norwegian continental shelf will surprise and surprise over the next years. Prolific basins tend to be prolific, and based on the knowledge and competence we have built up, actually, just the technology has been available, but the uses of the technology and the additional competence that our people bring in to interpret that seismic use in AI to interpret it, finding the anomalies the human eyes are missing. This is actually creating new opportunities. We have gas organizations that can drill these wells and tie them into an existing platform in a very efficient manner. Therefore, we believe we can play this game for many, many years on the Norwegian continental shelf. With the political support to continue with oil and gas, particularly exploration in Norway, Kjetil mentioned the recently awarded licenses, but also the new licenses around for next year is already announced. So there is a lot of positive news around that. But Irene, and then Kjetil to follow up a little bit.
Irene Rummelhoff, EVP
First of all, I think you noticed that our CEO is becoming an expert on the gas market for very good reasons. So I don't have a tremendous amount of insight to add, but I think, for 2024, the weather scenario has played out. We think this winter, as last year’s winter, is going to be among the top five warmest winters in the last 60 years of history or something. We will go out of this winter season with storage at approximately 55% level. So we're good for 2024. What we need to watch is what Anders rightly pointed out: it's a demand recovery. We've seen some positive signs. But even more important is the demand recovery or growth in Asia. LNG is clearly going to be the price setter for the gas market in the foreseeable future, and the growth in Asia is significantly bigger than what we can expect in Europe. We're expecting to run into a period, I guess, in 2026 or 2027, with a lot of new LNG coming to the market from Qatar and the U.S. This may present a tough period for the gas market, and there is some nervousness around that period, which we also indicate in the material we have presented to you. There's also the Biden administration's decision to pause LNG projects, which is hard to interpret, but we expect that there will be a real pause and a delay in some of the projects that are meant to come in to the market. When that oversupply period occurs, they will come a little bit later and will probably match demand better. Overall, I think the outcome of that is not too bad for the global supply-demand balances.
Kjetil Hove, EVP
Yes, I could cover a bit on the NCS. Our outlook for 2035 on the NCS is basically built on three pillars. It's the huge project portfolio, which I talked about—more than 50 projects. That's the main chunk of the outlook for 2035. Then on the increased recovery: yes, we have been able to lift it from 30% to 50% on average, but there is still potential. We see that every year we are able to mature at least 50 to 70 wells to be drilled on the NCS, and we expect to deliver that this decade as well. So yes, we have lifted it to 50%, but there still is quite a huge potential remaining for recovery. On the exploration and ILX, we have just started. We see that we are consistently able to deliver from our ILX portfolio. Last year, we had 12 discoveries, and we expect that we should be able to continue with this. Based on the new technology we have been utilizing, we can see these smaller pockets much better than we did just a couple of years ago, so we have just begun on the ILX.
Bard Glad Pedersen, Investor Relations Head
Thank you very much. Let's take Teodor's question now. If you could keep your hands up a little bit better, yes. Please go.
Teodor Sveen-Nilsen, Analyst
Yes. Teodor Sveen-Nilsen of Sparebank 1 Markets. First, on the balance sheet, still very strong at 22% net cash. You said, Torgrim, that you expect to have net cash flow at zero by year-end, but that's still not a long-term guidance of 15% to 30% net debt to capital employed. Why do you spend so long time getting the balance sheet in sync with your official guidance? First question. The second question is looking back to the Capital Markets update last year. The key message was that you wanted to focus on value over volume. Now you decided that you will invest in Empire Wind at 4% IRR. Why has the volume become more important than value over the past 12 months?
Anders Opedal, CEO
You can start with the net debt ratio.
Torgrim Reitan, CFO
Okay. Thanks, Teodor. In 2023, we planned for a negative cash flow of $8 billion, and it actually ended with a negative cash flow of $8 billion for the year. With the program for this year, we're actually planning for a negative free cash flow of minus $10 billion if you do the math, which is actually going to bring the net debt to a positive territory. This is actually a very rapid direction towards a different and more efficient capital structure. The 15% to 30% net debt is not sort of a target in itself; it is guidance on what we find is a natural level and a good capital structure for a company like ours. We have operated above and below for many, many years. Over time, we want to move in that direction. With the $8 billion to $10 billion capital distribution we suggested for next year, we will move towards this direction. I just want to remind us that we are living in a very, very volatile world. We had our best results in 2022, and we had our worst results in 2020, and we need to be prepared for that. I am okay and happy to operate below that range, but clearly, we want to move towards it over time.
Anders Opedal, CEO
To be very clear, value over volume is still our guidance for oil and gas and also for renewables moving forward. Investing in Empire after the deal we did with BP is what we see as creating the best value for Equinor. We are within the guidance range both on forward-looking and on the fuel cycles if we take into account the recent transactions we have done there. Now we're waiting for the results from the bid as Torgrim mentioned, and at the right time, we will find another partner and will project finance this. Hege alluded to you on Dogger Bank as we are working on increasing the lifetime of the offshore wind park. So we will create more and more value over time as well. This is the best way we can create value from the Empire project in our mind.
Bard Glad Pedersen, Investor Relations Head
Very good. Thank you very much. Let's take the next question from Chris Kuplent, Bank of America. Afterward, we will take one on the line.
Christopher Kuplent, Analyst
Thank you very much. I've got two questions probably both for you, Torgrim. You can categorize them under the topic of cash flow cushions. I want to look back a little bit. You said in your remarks that the $20 billion CFFO for 2023 came in line with what you told us about 12 months ago, which is true. However, I think 12 months ago, you were expecting production growth to be 3% in 2023. You were, I think, using $20 per MBtu of gas price assumptions, certainly a level that we didn't see in 2023. I wonder how much contingency was included or maybe you can give us a little bit of a bridge in terms of pluses and minuses, why you nevertheless ended up at $20 billion CFFO. The second question I’m keen on talking about is on CapEx. Empire Wind, you highlighted, is now included for 2024 at $1.2 billion. This means if I take that out, the CapEx, $13 billion, minus $1.2 billion looks like, again, towards the very low end of your previous CapEx guidance. Could you tell us whether there was some project slippage that pushed CapEx further to the right as well?
Torgrim Reitan, CFO
Okay. Thanks, Chris. Thank you for the detailed question on 2023 because it gives me an opportunity to give a little bit more color to it, because it was $19.7 billion as we reported. If we sort of apply the price assumptions that we used, it would have been $20.5 billion. So it actually would have been $20.5 billion as a like-for-like comparison. There have been some slippages in some of the production during the year. In general terms, when we put forward numbers, clearly, they are very important to us. We commit to them, and we want to ensure that we can deliver. There will always be a certain part of uncertainty in what we put forward. That is just the way companies work. The second point is the CapEx.
Anders Opedal, CEO
And you rightly say, we around 11.8%. Last year, we said 13% but back-ended loaded. We are actually very close to what we indicated last year with 13% back-ended loaded and 11.8% now. There is not necessarily any particular project slippage into this. Actually, the guided CapEx last year and this year is in line with each other when you take away the Empire.
Bard Glad Pedersen, Investor Relations Head
Let's take one question on the line, please.
Biraj Borkhataria, Analyst
Hi. Thanks for taking my question. Sorry, I can't do that. So my first question is just following up on Empire Wind. Your CapEx guidance stated, does not assume the project financing. Could you just give some details on where you'd expect that to be finalized? Broadly speaking, what proportion of the CapEx would you typically project-finance for Wind? The second question is on M&A and inorganic opportunities. A few years ago, you put out plans to effectively simplify your international portfolio and exit from the tail. However, there's been some exciting exploration success in places like Namibia, and you see players there that may be underfunded. I was wondering your thoughts on your willingness to look at inorganic opportunities outside of the three key countries and the international portfolio you've highlighted in the past? Thank you.
Anders Opedal, CEO
Okay. I had a little bit difficult...
Torgrim Reitan, CFO
I can take the first one, which is more a technical question related to how we book and treat Empire Wind in our books. It used to be equity accounted because we owned only 50% of it. So it was only the equity part of our investment that was on our balance sheet, and only part of the equity cash flow in future earnings report. Now we have to consolidate it fully in our books and also have 100% of it included. This actually creates a significant change in how it is reported. When the project financing is in place, and we expect that package to be in place late this year, we will still have to report it at 100% and consolidate it until we have farmed down to a lower level. Therefore, in isolation, it won't impact the reported CapEx until we have reduced the ownership share. I hope that answers your question, Biraj.
Anders Opedal, CEO
And if I understood the question correctly regarding M&A, it was about the international business. We have high graded the portfolio there over the last few years, exited several countries. Together with the project sanction that we mentioned, that will give the 50% increase in cash flow from 2023 to 2030. We will continue to high-grade the portfolio going forward, but we will not comment on any future M&As, either divestments or acquisitions.
Bard Glad Pedersen, Investor Relations Head
Very good. Let's take the next one from Martijn Rats, Morgan Stanley.
Martijn Rats, Analyst
Yes. Hi. Hello. I also had two questions, if I may. One relates to Exhibit 30, the one that shows CFFO for 2024, 2025 to 2027, and then the outer period at different price scenarios. If you look at that exhibit carefully, if we go from 2024 to 2025, 2027, the $55 scenario goes up, the $75 scenario goes up, but the $95 scenario goes down. I was wondering if there is something in that period that I'm missing. It sort of—exhibit implies that the company's CFFO becomes substantially less oil price-sensitive. I can't imagine that this is the message behind the chart. It's a slightly more technical point, but I wanted to ask that. The second question I want to ask is somewhat different. When a company gives guidance over the next five to five years, it's usually an outcome of the projects that are in front of them and the business that's going on. But when the guidance becomes much longer—sort of like 10, 11, 12 years—it's often more of a statement of intent of a direction of travel that the company aspires to, rather than the business that's right in front of them. If you look at the DD&A and the capital employed, your entire capital employed will turn over over the next decade. So in a decade from now, there's a lot of choices still to be made. I was wondering, by 2035, the guidance now implies that somewhere between 75% to 80% of CFFO will still be oil and gas. To what extent is that an outcome of simply the projects that you see, and to what extent is it sort of like an aspiration, more like an intent to travel in that direction?
Torgrim Reitan, CFO
You take the first one, which is a technical question, Martijn. It is actually the tax lag that drives this; the tax lag on the Norwegian continental shelf. In 2024, you only have half of the tax associated with the $95 million, while the year after, you have 1.5 times the tax of the $95 million. So, it is a truly technical question, and the answer is a truly technical one, Martijn. So that's the reason.
Anders Opedal, CEO
Okay. So when it comes to the 2025 intent or projection, it is really based on the project portfolio that we do have in place and all the opportunity sets we do have on the Norwegian continental shelf. If we take it a little bit first for EPI, it's really the three projects that I mentioned: the Bacalhau, the Raia, the Sparta, and Rosebank for—sorry. Additionally, we have projects as a future opportunity. The projection there is genuinely based on these projects. When it comes to the Norwegian continental shelf, it is the long project list of non-sanctioned projects—more than 30 projects that Kjetil knows about. We are going to develop them, and we are going to go to the guy and say, I want them. I want them below $35 in breakeven. Also, we know from experience that the ILX will provide good results going forward. So it is not only our projection; it's based on actions we've already taken. It’s the seismic that Hege alluded to that is already acquired, is being interpreted, and can create new targets coming into place, which is why we were able to extend this to 2035 this year. At the same time, we also demonstrate—and you'll find it in the appendix—a long list of renewable projects and low carbon solution projects yet to be sanctioned, yet to determine profitability, and for some of these projects, customers. We balance this with the flexibility in capital allocation. So it is genuinely based on the portfolio that we have in hand.
Bard Glad Pedersen, Investor Relations Head
Let's take one in the room, and then we'll go to the line—Paul Redman from BNP Paribas.
Paul Redman, Analyst
Thank you very much. It's Paul Redman from BNP Paribas, and I've got two questions. The first is just going back to Empire Wind. Following on from Biraj's question, essentially, you're saying that you can increase returns through project financing and farm-downs. I wanted to ask what your current view of those markets are at the moment. So in terms of timing on when you could do those and how the CapEx could come down? What are your current expectations? I see that in your guidance on renewable returns, you're talking about 12% to 16%, but I don't think you include Empire Wind in that. I just wanted to confirm that. The second one is just you've given yourself a bit of flex on the buyback—$10 billion to $12 billion. What drives the upside on buyback? When we get to 2025, if you're at 15% gearing or the lower level of your optimized balance sheet guidance, where would you expect distributions to go after that? Could you see more extraordinary dividends in 2025 and beyond?
Anders Opedal, CEO
Okay. Paul, you can say a little bit about the market as you see it. And if I understand before the question correctly, you talked about the 12% to 16% return on equity for renewables. That is based on, as an example, it's the Dogger Bank and it's our solar plants in Europe that we have seen those types of returns. But if you look back for the whole renewable portfolio from 2015 to 2023, we have a double-digit return nominal on our portfolio. Pal, will you?
Pal Eitrheim, EVP
Yes. I'll leave it to Torgrim to comment on the financing part of it. However, on the farm-down market, we're seeing now projects because of the challenges on both sides of the Atlantic, fewer projects on the U.S. East Coast. Empire 1 is by far one of the most mature projects that are available, given that it has four years of permitting work behind it. We have all the main contracts secured with negotiated rates. We have a fairly concrete line of sight to what the cost level will be. So I'm quite hopeful that we will be able to find a good partner and that this is an attractive asset also since it is among the few that can develop in a pre-2030 perspective. I will build a bit on the earlier answer; what we faced last year was that unprecedented macro and inflation came, eroding profitability of our portfolio. We canceled the offtake contract for Empire 2. We have done the swap with BP, effectively resetting and high-grading that portfolio, and we now have line of sight to post-economics going forward provided we can succeed with the New York 4 bid, where we have bid at a level that we think or hope will be competitive but also can help restore economics through Empire Wind 1.
Torgrim Reitan, CFO
Yes. On your question about project financing or financing packages, that is progressing. This is a big financing package naturally in the U.S. It is complex, but it is progressing well, and we aim to sign; there would be a financial close, not very long after an investment decision. So it will come pretty close to visual. I think it's important to note on your point, Paul, that de-risking this project will create value. Winning New York Phase 1 is one level of de-risking; having a final investment decision is the second; having a financial package is a third. The more we de-risk, the more buyers there will be and the more attractive prices we can achieve; so that's the perspective.
Anders Opedal, CEO
What was the second question?
Torgrim Reitan, CFO
There were two more; you had four questions. Yes, buyback. Also, distribution—okay. So a two-year program of share buybacks: $10 billion to $12 billion, $6 billion this year, meaning between $4 billion and $6 billion next year. We have given ourselves a little bit of flexibility. That said, we have tested what we put forward across a broad set of price assumptions and all of that. We are very, very committed to honoring that. Between $4 billion and $6 billion, it will be. There was one more question regarding buyback.
Anders Opedal, CEO
What we have presented today is the range for 2024 and 2025, and we will come back to this in due time.
Bard Glad Pedersen, Investor Relations Head
I have to ask now that you limit to one question because I have several down the list, and we will start with one on the line.
John Olaisen, Analyst
Yes, thanks for taking my question. I wonder what kind of IRR we should expect for the next few renewable projects that you will be announcing. What I'm really wondering about is if you are willing to take on more new big wind projects. For instance, Empire Wind, with only 4% to 5% real returns?
Torgrim Reitan, CFO
If you were able to hear it, if not, we will try to get it, and then we will take a...
Anders Opedal, CEO
I think I heard it. We have guided on a real unlevered range of 4% to 8%, and this is what we do when we prioritize projects and we're using that for our capital discipline.
John Olaisen, Analyst
But Empire Wind is only at 4% to 5% returns, and I just wonder if you prioritize the best projects first. For the next projects you will be announcing, will you be willing to take on still low-end guidance return projects?
Anders Opedal, CEO
I’m a little unsure. Did you hear the question, Torgrim?
Torgrim Reitan, CFO
I think, John, you asked about if we are accepting Empire Wind, does it mean that the rest are below that in terms of return. I can assure you that this is not how a project portfolio works; these things move around at this level. The Empire Wind project 4% to 8% forward-looking economics is clearly what we aim for, and it is important that we need to see this. The life cycle economics of the U.S. project, taking into account, the divestment to BP will also bring this into the range. Beyond that, in the project portfolio, there is actually a healthy return in the offshore wind portfolio.
Bard Glad Pedersen, Investor Relations Head
Peter Low with Redburn.
Peter Low, Analyst
Hi. Thanks. It's Peter Low from Redburn Atlantic. Yes, a question on the 2030 cash flow guidance. You made the point that, that has increased versus last year. Can you run through where those increases have come from? Because it wasn't quite clear from the presentation. Thanks.
Anders Opedal, CEO
So you're asking about the increase in cash flow from operation in 2030. So basically, what we do now is to invest in oil and gas, which will give $20 billion cash flow from operations on average all the way to 2030. We're investing on top of our investments in oil and gas into renewables and low-carbon solutions. The $3 billion increase in cash flow from operations after tax in 2030 will come from the renewable business and low-carbon solutions. I think in one of the slides from Torgrim, he indicated also some of the projects that will contribute to this.
Bard Glad Pedersen, Investor Relations Head
Will go with Yoann Charenton from Societe Generale.
Yoann Charenton, Analyst
Thank you. Yoann Charenton from Societe Generale. A quick question on distribution, if I may. You are providing transparently the three scenarios that you use, but you tend to focus on the central scenario. Did I hear correctly during the presentation that based on the base case scenario for commodity prices, you don't expect any potential for continuation of the extraordinary cash dividends beyond what has been announced today in the future? When it comes to buyback, do we need to see TTF prices close to what is shown on this base case scenario for you to be able to deliver on the $10 billion to $12 billion share buyback program in the coming two years?
Anders Opedal, CEO
Okay. So we are today providing a very competitive capital distribution, where we increase the ordinary cash dividend by 17% based on the outlook we are providing with growth in cash flow over the next year. We also, for the first time, are very clear on our intention to grow this over time. As Torgrim said a little earlier today, the extraordinary dividend is based on past earnings, and we will have $0.35 this quarter and the next three consecutive quarters, but we will conclude this after the third quarter of 2024. When it comes to the guidance for the share buyback of $10 billion to $12 billion, we have tested this in different price scenarios. We are confident we will deliver this. This range is based on the outlook, but also the strong confidence we have in our execution capabilities.
Lydia Rainforth, Analyst
And just following up on that, is the idea that the cash returns now are independent for the next two years of where the oil prices and gas prices are? Or is there some volatility there? The second question—sorry, but you gave me 2030 international production, but I couldn't see 2035 international production. Obviously, the business will become less NCS and more international, more low carbon. Does that present any kind of cultural or organizational factors that you need to think about?
Anders Opedal, CEO
So Philippe, you want to—I wanted to allude a little bit on the international portfolio, particularly the growth to 2030, but also how it would evolve after 2035. I have to admit I forgot your first question now.
Philippe Mathieu, EVP
Can you hear me? Yes. On the international portfolio, we have two peers; the growth to 2030 indicates a 50% CFFO growth. Beyond that, to 2035, we’re looking at a CFFO level more or less stabilized at the 2030 level. The growth we’re talking about in terms of to 2030 is what we call quality growth. It's all about the high grading of the portfolio. Consider the divestments we did, the acquisition of Suncor in the U.K., the FIDs taken on the project; all of that results in two things. One, an increase in production of 100,000 barrels between 2024 and 2030 that contributes to part of the CFFO increase. The main part of the CFFO increase is coming from the increased quality we have in the portfolio. Through these high gradings, we are shifting and replacing the legacy mature assets with next-generation assets. These generate more CFFO per barrel and have lower emissions, contributing to the $5 increase in CFFO per barrel from today to 2030.
Anders Opedal, CEO
Regarding being a broader company, what does it mean for the internal employees, the culture? We see that it is really the people that started in oil and gas who are now developing both offshore wind and CCS and hydrogen. It’s the same skill set you basically need for the transportation and storage of CO2. You need reservoir engineers, geologists, petrophysicists; I’m a former petrophysicist, and I'm very proud of that. You need pipeline engineers, etc. However, at the same time, as we broaden out, we will do different things. We will work differently across the company. It’s really important to ensure that we are speaking the same language. We have the same purpose: Turning natural resources into energy for people and progress with society. That creates pride in the company and that we're indeed dependent, regardless of where we work in the company, to work towards the same purpose. That is what we’re working on. We see that when we are recruiting, and we have recruited more than 4,000 people over the last years, it is being a part of a company where you can engage in the energy transition that attracts new young people.
Bard Glad Pedersen, Investor Relations Head
Thank you for that. We are now well over time, and the list keeps becoming longer even as we take. So what I will ask you to do is to take your questions to the breakout sessions. Anders and Torgrim will also be in one of the breakout sessions, and the remaining questions we can take there. Then just thank you for your attendance and your engagement in this plenary session. We will move now towards the breakout sessions. I ask you to exit through these doors, go to the left through the corridor, and then to the left again. Those of you who signed up for the breakouts have a letter on your badge A, B, or C, and that is the room where you will start, and the EVPs will rotate between the rooms so that you have the opportunity to ask questions to all of them. Thank you all for joining this event, and see you then in the breakout sessions.