Equinor: Who Owns It, Who Runs It, Major Projects
Last updated: October 26, 2026
Equinor ASA is a Norwegian state-controlled energy company headquartered in Stavanger, Norway. Originally founded in 1972 as Statoil by an act of the Norwegian parliament, the company changed its name to Equinor in 2018 to reflect a strategic shift from a pure oil-and-gas producer toward a broader energy company investing in offshore wind, solar, hydrogen and carbon capture alongside its core oil and gas business. Equinor remains one of the world’s largest offshore operators and one of Europe’s largest suppliers of natural gas.
Who Owns Equinor?
Equinor is majority-owned by the Norwegian state. The Norwegian government holds approximately 67% of Equinor’s shares, a stake managed on the state’s behalf by the Ministry of Energy (formerly the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy). The remaining shares are publicly traded and held by institutional and retail investors on the Oslo Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange (ticker: EQNR). This structure makes the Norwegian state Equinor’s controlling shareholder, giving the government significant influence over major strategic decisions while the company operates as a commercially run, listed corporation.
| Shareholder | Approx. stake | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Government of Norway | ~67% | Held via the Ministry of Energy; Norway’s largest single company holding |
| Public float | ~33% | Institutional and retail investors; listed on Oslo Børs and NYSE |
Source: Equinor company filings and investor relations disclosures.
Leadership
Anders Opedal has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Equinor since November 2, 2020, succeeding Eldar Sætre. Opedal is a career Equinor engineer who joined the company (then Statoil) in 1997 and rose through operations, procurement and technology roles before becoming CEO — see the full profile: Who Is Anders Opedal, Equinor’s CEO?
In June 2026, Equinor’s corporate assembly elected Jarle Roth as the new chair of the board of directors, succeeding Jon Erik Reinhardsen, who had chaired the board since 2017. Roth’s term as chair took effect July 1, 2026. Anne Drinkwater continues as deputy chair.
| Role | Name | Since |
|---|---|---|
| President & CEO | Anders Opedal | November 2020 |
| Chair of the Board | Jarle Roth | July 2026 |
| Deputy Chair | Anne Drinkwater | Re-elected 2026 |
Business Areas
- Oil and gas exploration & production — core upstream business on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, the UK North Sea, the US (onshore shale and Gulf of Mexico), Brazil, and other international basins.
- Renewables — primarily offshore and onshore wind, with a growing solar portfolio, concentrated in Europe and the United States.
- Low-carbon solutions — CO2 transport and storage (including the Northern Lights project) and hydrogen.
- Marketing, midstream and trading — natural gas marketing and trading across Europe, where Equinor is one of the largest suppliers.
Countries of Operation
Equinor operates from offices in more than 20 countries, with its largest producing positions in Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Brazil, plus exploration and renewables activity across continental Europe, Argentina (Vaca Muerta) and other regions.
Production and Reserves
| Metric | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Total liquids and gas production | ~2.1–2.2 million boe/d | Q2 2026 |
| Adjusted operating income | $11.5 billion | Q2 2026 |
| Employees | ~24,600 | 2025 |
Equinor targeted roughly 3% production growth for full-year 2026 and organic capital expenditure of about $13 billion, with growth driven primarily by new fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and international assets.
Major Assets and Projects
| Project/Asset | Type | Location | Status (as of Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johan Sverdrup | Oil field | North Sea, Norway | Producing; Phase 2 output ramp-up ongoing |
| Dogger Bank (A, B, C) | Offshore wind | UK North Sea | Dogger Bank A producing; Dogger Bank B generation underway in 2026; world’s largest offshore wind farm on completion |
| Empire Wind 1 | Offshore wind | New York, US | Under construction (resumed early 2026 after litigation over federal permits); targeted 2027 start-up |
| Rosebank | Oil field | UK (West of Shetland) | Sanctioned (2023 FID) with Suncor and Ithaca Energy as partners; development subject to UK regulatory/legal review |
| Northern Lights | CO2 transport & storage | Norwegian North Sea | Operated with TotalEnergies and Shell; receiving industrial CO2 for permanent storage |
| Vaca Muerta | Shale oil & gas | Argentina | Equinor holds non-operated interests; active international growth area |
Ownership note: on several projects Equinor is one of several partners rather than sole owner — see Rosebank (Equinor/Suncor/Ithaca Energy) and Northern Lights (Equinor/TotalEnergies/Shell) above. “Final investment decision” (FID) reflects the point at which partners commit capital to build; it does not by itself mean a project is producing.
Employees and Careers
Equinor employed approximately 24,600 people as of 2025, with roles spanning engineering, geoscience, drilling, trading, renewables development, digital/data and corporate functions. All open roles are posted exclusively through Equinor’s official careers portal; the company does not accept applications through third-party channels for its own listings. For current openings and how to apply, see Equinor’s official careers site: equinor.com/careers.
Recent News
- Equinor resumed construction on Empire Wind 1 in early 2026 after a US federal court granted a preliminary injunction against a stop-work order, with the underlying litigation against the Department of the Interior continuing.
- Jarle Roth took over as Equinor’s board chair effective July 1, 2026, succeeding long-serving chair Jon Erik Reinhardsen.
- Equinor reported Q2 2026 adjusted operating income of $11.5 billion, up sharply year-on-year, with production growth supported by new fields and higher renewable output from Dogger Bank.
Related Entities
- Anders Opedal — President & CEO of Equinor
- Shell plc — co-partner in Northern Lights CCS
- TotalEnergies SE — co-partner in Northern Lights CCS
- BP p.l.c. — North Sea and offshore wind peer
- Chevron Corporation — international oil major peer
- ExxonMobil — international oil major peer
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Equinor?
The Norwegian government owns approximately 67% of Equinor through the Ministry of Energy, making the state Equinor’s controlling shareholder. The remainder trades publicly on the Oslo and New York stock exchanges.
Who is the CEO of Equinor?
Anders Opedal has been President and CEO of Equinor since November 2020.
Is Equinor the same company as Statoil?
Yes. Equinor was founded as Statoil in 1972 and rebranded to Equinor in 2018 to reflect its expansion beyond oil and gas into renewables and low-carbon energy.
Does Equinor hire internationally?
Yes. Equinor recruits for roles in Norway, the UK, the US, Brazil and other countries where it operates; all vacancies are listed on its official careers portal.
Sources
- Equinor ASA — official company website, About Us and Careers pages (equinor.com), accessed October 2026
- Equinor Q2 2026 financial results and investor relations disclosures
- Equinor press release, “Election of shareholder representatives to the board of directors of Equinor ASA,” June 2026
- Reuters, S&P Global Commodity Insights and industry reporting on Empire Wind, Rosebank and Dogger Bank, 2025–2026
Illustrative image / Temsilî görsel / صورة تعبيرية
Illustrative image. Photo: GuavaTrain, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons — source
