Equinor makes commercially viable gas discovery in North Sea

Energy company Equinor on November 6 announced a commercially viable gas discovery near the Gina Krog field in the North Sea. The discovery, while small, is expected to start producing gas as early as 2023.

Recoverable volumes are estimated to be between 5 and 16mn barrels of oil equivalent. The well was drilled by the Noble Lloyd Noble rig and marks the first commercial discovery in the Gina Krog license since 2011.

The discovery is considered commercially viable due to its ability to utilise existing infrastructure by the Gina Krog platform. The well is planned to go into production during the fourth quarter of 2023.

"The discovery will help extend the lifetime and strengthen the profitability of Gina Krog and is important for the entire Sleipner area," stated Camilla Salthe, senior vice president for field life extension in Equinor. "It will quickly bring new gas to Europe with good profitability and low CO2 emissions from production. Gina Krog is already electrified and has spare capacity. This shows how important it is to explore in mature areas on the Norwegian continental shelf."

Equinor is the operator of the Gina Krog field with a 58.7% stake, while KUFPEC and PGNiG hold 30% and 11.3% interests, respectively.