Equinor and partners Petoro and TotalEnergies have discovered oil and gas in the Grimsnes prospect near Norway’s Oseberg area, with preliminary recoverable resources estimated at 19 million to 50 million barrels of oil equivalent.
The discovery came from exploration well 30/8-7 S in production licence 190, about 15 kilometres southwest of the Oseberg Sør platform and roughly 145 kilometres west of Bergen. Equinor operates the licence with a 50% interest; Petoro holds 40% and TotalEnergies EP Norge 10%.
The well was drilled by the Deepsea Bergen rig in 96 metres of water and reached a vertical depth of 3,752 metres below sea level. It encountered a 54-metre hydrocarbon column in the Tarbert Formation, comprising 39 metres of gas and 15 metres of oil. The well has since been permanently plugged and abandoned, and the rig is scheduled to move to the Visund Sør field for a development well.
The partners are evaluating a tieback to existing subsea infrastructure in the Oseberg area, with production planned through the Oseberg Sør platform. Equinor expects the project would most likely use two or three wells connected through a standard four-slot template, while procurement of subsea equipment is planned for early next year before a final investment decision.
The partnership aims to decide on the investment as early as summer 2027 and begin production within three years. The proposed development would use the Stjerne subsea installation, which is already connected to Oseberg Sør; oil from the platform is transported through the Oseberg Field Centre and Oseberg Transport System to the Sture terminal.
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate said the well’s secondary targets in the Ness and Etive formations contained aquiferous sandstone, including some zones with potential hydrocarbons in the Ness Formation.
The discovery supports Equinor’s plan to maintain production of 1. 3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day on the Norwegian continental shelf in 2035, with about 70% expected to come from new wells and developments. Analysis: using existing facilities could shorten the path from discovery to production, but the project remains subject to the partners’ investment decision and regulatory approval.