Mar 3, 2026
The North Sea gains wealth from another oil find.
Norwegian state-owned energy company Equinor has discovered more oil in the North Sea off Norway's coast through drilling with one of Odfjell Drilling’s semi-submersible rigs.
Equinor and its partners have confirmed a commercially viable oil find in the Snorre area within the Omega Sør (South) Alfa prospect, approximately 200 kilometers northwest of Bergen. The 34/4-19 S well, drilled by the Deepsea Atlantic rig, has detected hydrocarbons, with preliminary estimates suggesting recoverable oil equivalents between 25 and 89 million barrels, or 4–14.2 million standard cubic meters.
The well was drilled in production licence 057, awarded during the fourth licensing round on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) in 1979. It is the 14th well drilled in this production licence. The partnership aims for a swift and cost-effective development to connect the find with the existing infrastructure in the Tampen area. The licensees in production licence 057 include Equinor (operator), Petoro, Harbour Energy, INPEX Idemitsu, and Vår Energi.
The well aimed to confirm petroleum presence in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks of the Brent Group. The 34/4-19 well found oil in sandstone layers totaling 224.5 meters, of which 127 meters exhibited moderate to good reservoir qualities. No oil/water contact was found, and although the well wasn't formation-tested, extensive data collection and sampling occurred.
Drilled to vertical and measured depths of 3,872 and 4,090 meters below sea level, respectively, the 34/4-19 well reached the Drake Formation in the Middle Jurassic. The water depth at the location is 381 meters. The well will be temporarily sealed and abandoned.
Erik Gustav Kirkemo, Senior Vice President for the Southern Area in Exploration & Production Norway, stated: “The new discovery will be quickly integrated into existing subsea facilities and produced via the Snorre A platform. Near-field exploration is vital for prolonging the life of operational fields. Since much of the infrastructure is already paid off, these are economically viable barrels.”
Equinor views Omega South as a pioneering model for a quicker and more economically efficient strategy for developing subsea fields, indicating the future evolution of the NCS. The company emphasizes that Norwegian oil and gas are essential for European energy security.
Trond Bokn, Senior Vice President for Project Development at Equinor, noted: “What’s new is our planning for field development ahead of the discovery. This allows for new finds to be brought into production in just two to three years.
“The exploration well was drilled through a foundation. The partnership intends to reuse both this foundation and parts of the exploration well in the field development, which lowers costs and enables a faster startup.”
Norway meets 20% of Europe's oil needs and 30% of its gas requirements, but output from existing fields is declining. Therefore, the company stresses the importance of increasing exploration and expediting the development of new discoveries that can connect to existing fields.
“Equinor aims to maintain roughly the same production level in 2035 as in 2020, equating to about 1.2 million barrels of oil and gas daily from the Norwegian continental shelf. Approximately 70% will come from new wells and developments, and we plan to drill 250 exploration wells, primarily near existing fields,” Kirkemo added.
The Snorre field, in operation since 1992, has continually added new volumes, most recently with the Snorre expansion project launched in 2020, contributing 200 million barrels and extending its lifetime beyond 2040. The new Omega South discovery can now be integrated into this infrastructure, further reducing overall development costs.
“This aligns perfectly with Equinor’s strategy to optimize its oil and gas portfolio, ensure high value creation, and contribute to a responsible energy transition. Using existing infrastructure decreases both costs and environmental impact while utilizing resources on the Norwegian shelf efficiently,” emphasized Bokn.
Equinor and its partners have confirmed a commercially viable oil find in the Snorre area within the Omega Sør (South) Alfa prospect, approximately 200 kilometers northwest of Bergen. The 34/4-19 S well, drilled by the Deepsea Atlantic rig, has detected hydrocarbons, with preliminary estimates suggesting recoverable oil equivalents between 25 and 89 million barrels, or 4–14.2 million standard cubic meters.
The well was drilled in production licence 057, awarded during the fourth licensing round on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) in 1979. It is the 14th well drilled in this production licence. The partnership aims for a swift and cost-effective development to connect the find with the existing infrastructure in the Tampen area. The licensees in production licence 057 include Equinor (operator), Petoro, Harbour Energy, INPEX Idemitsu, and Vår Energi.
The well aimed to confirm petroleum presence in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks of the Brent Group. The 34/4-19 well found oil in sandstone layers totaling 224.5 meters, of which 127 meters exhibited moderate to good reservoir qualities. No oil/water contact was found, and although the well wasn't formation-tested, extensive data collection and sampling occurred.
Drilled to vertical and measured depths of 3,872 and 4,090 meters below sea level, respectively, the 34/4-19 well reached the Drake Formation in the Middle Jurassic. The water depth at the location is 381 meters. The well will be temporarily sealed and abandoned.
Erik Gustav Kirkemo, Senior Vice President for the Southern Area in Exploration & Production Norway, stated: “The new discovery will be quickly integrated into existing subsea facilities and produced via the Snorre A platform. Near-field exploration is vital for prolonging the life of operational fields. Since much of the infrastructure is already paid off, these are economically viable barrels.”
Equinor views Omega South as a pioneering model for a quicker and more economically efficient strategy for developing subsea fields, indicating the future evolution of the NCS. The company emphasizes that Norwegian oil and gas are essential for European energy security.
Trond Bokn, Senior Vice President for Project Development at Equinor, noted: “What’s new is our planning for field development ahead of the discovery. This allows for new finds to be brought into production in just two to three years.
“The exploration well was drilled through a foundation. The partnership intends to reuse both this foundation and parts of the exploration well in the field development, which lowers costs and enables a faster startup.”
Norway meets 20% of Europe's oil needs and 30% of its gas requirements, but output from existing fields is declining. Therefore, the company stresses the importance of increasing exploration and expediting the development of new discoveries that can connect to existing fields.
“Equinor aims to maintain roughly the same production level in 2035 as in 2020, equating to about 1.2 million barrels of oil and gas daily from the Norwegian continental shelf. Approximately 70% will come from new wells and developments, and we plan to drill 250 exploration wells, primarily near existing fields,” Kirkemo added.
The Snorre field, in operation since 1992, has continually added new volumes, most recently with the Snorre expansion project launched in 2020, contributing 200 million barrels and extending its lifetime beyond 2040. The new Omega South discovery can now be integrated into this infrastructure, further reducing overall development costs.
“This aligns perfectly with Equinor’s strategy to optimize its oil and gas portfolio, ensure high value creation, and contribute to a responsible energy transition. Using existing infrastructure decreases both costs and environmental impact while utilizing resources on the Norwegian shelf efficiently,” emphasized Bokn.