据OE网站7月27日报道，挪威能源巨头Equinor表示，由于地缘政治冲突引发的天然气价格飙升，该公司公布第二季度利润好于预期，并将向股东额外返还30亿美元。今年4月至6月，该公司对欧洲的天然气供应较上年同期增加了18%，使挪威成为欧洲最大的管道天然气供应国。

首席执行官奥佩德尔在新闻发布会上表示，在此期间，Equinor已成为欧洲最重要的能源供应商，这使得我们提供可靠的运营至关重要。

第二季度调整后税前利润从上年同期的46亿美元跃升至176亿美元，超过了Equinor对26位分析师的调查预测的169亿美元。该公司将2022年的股息和股票回购指导提高了30%，从2月份宣布的100亿美元增至130亿美元左右。

由于石油和天然气价格高企，Equinor将第二和第三季度的特别股息从每股0.20美元提高到0.50美元，增加了约20亿美元。该公司的定期季度付款仍为每股0.20美元。

加拿大皇家银行资本市场（RBC Capital Markets）在给客户的报告中写道，鉴于Equinor的净现金状况，特别（股息）可能会持续到2023年，这是合理的。

该公司表示，目前计划在2022年回购60亿美元的股票，高于此前预计的50亿美元。

今年5月，该公司位于北极小镇哈默菲斯特（Hammerfest）外的液化天然气工厂在中断20个月后重启，进一步增加了天然气供应。

欧盟能源部长周二批准了欧盟成员国从8月到明年3月自愿减少15%的天然气使用量的提议。

Opedal表示，很难预测即将到来的冬天会是什么样子，但对欧洲来说，这肯定是一个艰难的时期。

由于其国际产量下降，Equinor的整体油气产量与去年同期基本持平，为200万桶油当量/天。

郝芬 译自 OE

原文如下：

Soaring Gas Prices Power Equinor Q2 Profits

Equinor said it will return an additional $3 billion to shareholders after reporting better-than-expected second-quarter profit on the back of soaring gas prices fuelled by the war. The company boosted gas supplies to Europe by 18% in the April-June period compared to a year ago, making Norway the continent's largest supplier of piped natural gas .

"Equinor has become Europe's most important supplier of energy during this conflict, making it essential that we provide reliable operations," Chief Executive Anders Opedal told a news conference.

Adjusted earnings before tax jumped to $17.6 billion in the second quarter from $4.6 billion a year earlier, beating the $16.9 billion predicted in a poll of 26 analysts compiled by Equinor. The company raised its dividend and share buyback guidance for 2022 by 30% to a total of around $13 billion from $10 billion announced in February.

Equinor lifted its extraordinary dividend, paid as a result of high oil and gas prices, to $0.50 per share for the second and third quarters from $0.20, with the increase corresponding to about $2 billion. The company's regular quarterly payment, which remains at $0.20 per share.

"Given Equinor's net cash position, it is plausible that the specials (dividends) are likely to continue into 2023," RBC Capital Markets wrote in a note to clients.

The company said it now plans share buybacks of $6 billion in 2022, up from a previous projection of $5 billion.

The company restarted in May its LNG plant outside the Arctic town of Hammerfest after a 20-month outage, further boosting gas deliveries.

European Union energy ministers on Tuesday approved a proposal for EU member states to voluntarily cut gas use by 15% from August to March. 

"It's difficult to predict what the coming winter will be like but it will certainly be a demanding time for Europe," Opedal said.

Equinor's overall oil and gas production was broadly unchanged year-on-year, at 2.0 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) as its international output fell.