Norwegian energy company Statoil said Thursday its environmental footprint at a Canadian oil sands project had improved amid record production.

The company took full ownership of the Leismer oil sands project in Canada last year. Critics of Canadian oil sands production argue its more carbon intensive to produce than other lighter crude oil grades. A steam injection method used by rival Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. to warm viscous oil last year ran out of control, causing long-term seepage in Alberta.

Statoil said Leismer reached a record level of production at the end of 2014 with 20,000 barrels of oil per day. Carbon dioxide emissions per barrel, meanwhile, decreased by around 4 percent, though total emissions increased because of steam injection at new Leismer wells.

Last year, the company said it was looking at more than a dozen different technologies it may test long-term in an effort to curb CO2 emissions from its oil sands operations in Canada.

"In keeping with our step-wise approach to oil sands development, in 2014 we focused our efforts on improving the economics of oil sands recovery and achieving lower carbon intensity while reducing our impacts on the environment," Statoil Canada President Stale Tungesvik said in a statement.

In terms of water use, the company said it used less fresh water at its steam injection sites in favor of saline solutions.

Statoil Chief Executive Officer Eldar Saetre said during a Wednesday address at an energy conference in Houston it was incumbent upon the industry to do more to address climate concerns.

"Delivering all the oil and gas that a growing population needs is a major challenge," he said. "Delivering it with low costs and low carbon will require even more."

Statoil last year shelved the multibillion dollar Corner project in Canada, citing increased construction costs and a lack of pipeline infrastructure.