Equinor reveals promising gas discovery in the Norwegian Sea

Equinor and its partners, Okea and Pandion Energy, have proven gas and condensate in the “Mistral Sør” exploration well in the Halten area, situated in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea, the company said on Wednesday.

Preliminary estimates indicate that the discovery contains 3-7 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalent (o.e.), which corresponds to 19-44 million barrels of recoverable o.e, Equinor said in a statement.

“Norwegian gas is in high demand and is crucial to Europe’s energy security. That’s why it’s important for us to continue exploring and making new discoveries so we can maintain a high level of deliveries,” said Grete B. Haaland, Equinor’s senior vice president for Exploration & Production North.

“This discovery was made in an area where gas infrastructure is already in place, and which we’re also continuing to develop. We have active exploration efforts under way in this area, which have resulted in several discoveries in recent years,” she added.

The licensees’ assessment is that this is a commercial discovery, and they will consider tie-back to existing infrastructure or development together with other discoveries in the area.

The discovery was made in the Åsgard and Kristin area in the Norwegian Sea. Mistral Sør is situated just a short distance north of Linnorm, the largest gas discovery on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) that has yet to be developed. Equinor took over the operatorship for Linnorm in 2023. A discovery was also made in 2024 in the Lavrans field. Lavrans is currently being developed with a tie-back to the Kristin Sør field.

Mistral Sør was drilled by the Deepsea Atlantic (Odfjell Drilling) rig in production licence 1119. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic sandstone in the Garn Formation, with a secondary target in the Ile Formation, Equinor said.

Well 6406/6-7 S encountered an approx. 45-metre hydrocarbon column in the Garn Formation, with good reservoir properties. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 4024 metres below sea level, and was terminated in the Ror Formation in the Lower Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 256 metres. Extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.

The well will be permanently plugged, and the Deepsea Atlantic will leave the location to commence drilling on 15/8-G-4 Utgard. No hydrocarbons were proven in the secondary exploration target, Equinor said.