OSLO (AFP) - A Norwegian court Friday ordered energy group Statoil to pay 694 million kroner (85 million euros, 122 million dollars) to the state following a dispute over cost allocation for the expansion of a gas treatment plant, the parties involved said.

The complicated case goes back to 1999, when the Norwegian state and three companies involved in the development of the offshore Aasgard gas field claimed Statoil made them bear a too great share of the cost for the expansion of the Kaarstoe natural gas terminal, to which Aasgard is linked.

Statoil settled out of court with the three firms -- Italian Agip, Finnish Fortum, and French oil giant Total -- but not with the Norwegian state, which is Statoil's main shareholder with a 67 percent stake.

The state therefore sued Statoil in the Stavanger district court, who on Friday ordered the oil company to pay 378 million kroner in compensation and 316 million in interest, much less than what the state had sued for.

"Statoil will take a closer look at the grounds for the court's decision before deciding whether to enter an appeal," the company said in a statement.

In a separate statement, the Norwegian state, which was suing Statoil for many billions of kroner, also indicated it was studying the option to appeal the case.

Following the lawsuit by the Norwegian state, another partner company in the Aasgard gas field, ExxonMobil of the US, also claimed compensation but settled with Statoil out of court.