Factbox: Norway's oil vs. environment battles

(Reuters) - The oil spill in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico has seeped into a debate in Norway over opening up more of its pristine Arctic waters for oil and gas activities:

* Norway is the world's fifth exporter of oil, after Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. It exported 2.13 million of barrels of oil per day in 2009, down 31 percent from its peak in 2001 as North Sea oilfields mature.

* Norway is the world's No. 2 exporter of natural gas after Russia. It exported 99.4 billion cubic meters of gas in 2009, a record high as the industry gradually switches from oil to gas.

* From the start of its oil-boom to the end of 2009, Norway produced 5.3 billion cubic meters oil equivalent (33.3 billion barrels), or 40 percent of all resources already discovered or expected to be found on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

* The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate estimates 3.3 billion cubic meters of undiscovered resources, mostly in the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea where large swathes remain unexplored.

* In April, Norway and Russia signed a deal to delineate their Arctic maritime border region, a zone mainly in the Barents Sea covering 175,000 square kilometers (68,000 square miles), or half the size of Germany.

* The entire demarcated Barents Sea zone could hold as much as 10 billion barrels of oil equivalent, according to old studies based on communist-era seismic scans which officials say need to be updated with new technology.

* Tapping the riches under the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea could prove difficult due to a harsh climate and the region's remoteness. The only offshore field in production in the Barents is Statoil's Snoehvit. Italian producer ENI seeks to start its Goliat oilfield in 2013.

* According to official estimates, the waters off the Arctic archipelago of Lofoten and Vesteraalen hold some 1.3 billion barrels oil equivalent. Industry forecasts are higher.

* Drilling in the Lofoten and Vesteraalen region has become the key issue for Norwegian environmentalists. The region is home to the spawning grounds of the world's largest cod stock, unique cold water reefs and is a tourist attraction.

* It also has an unusually thin continental shelf for Norwegian standards, which means that drilling, should it be allowed, would take place closer to shore.

(Sources: Reuters, BP Statistical Review and Norwegian Petroleum Directorate)

(Reporting by Wojciech Moskwa and Gwladys Fouche)