Equinor ASA

Equinor ASA, originally founded as Statoil, is a Norwegian multinational energy giant headquartered in Stavanger. The company operates in 36 countries, with a primary focus on petroleum extraction, though it has been expanding into renewables and lithium mining. In the 2020 Forbes Global 2000, Equinor ranked 169th among the world's largest public companies; by 2023, it had climbed to 52nd. The workforce numbered 21,126 as of 2021.

The modern entity took shape in 2007 when Statoil merged with the oil and gas division of Norsk Hydro. The Norwegian government remains the dominant shareholder, holding 67% of shares as of 2017, managed by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. While the company's headquarters and leadership are based in Stavanger, most international operations are directed from Fornebu, outside Oslo.

Equinor has faced scrutiny for its environmental impact. Between 1988 and 2015, Statoil accounted for 0.52% of global industrial greenhouse gas emissions. According to Carbon Majors, Equinor was responsible for 8.33 million tonnes of CO2 emissions from 1971 to 2024. The company rebranded from Statoil to Equinor in 2018, blending "equi" (from equity, equality, equilibrium) with "nor" to signal its Norwegian roots. The old name Statoil simply meant "state oil" in Norwegian. [edit]