Norway’s oil and gas companies plan to spend 17 percent more this year, at about US$21.11 billion as they step up their exploration and production efforts, Reuters reports, citing data from the statistics authority of the country. “This growth is considerably higher than indicated in the previous survey, which showed a 7.9% increase,” the authority said, adding that the 2019 forecast figure was the highest since 2015. Next year, however, investments in oil and gas exploration and production will decline, the statistics agency…