Equinor has started production from the Verdande subsea field in the Norwegian Sea, a development that is expected to keep the Norne floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) producing beyond 2030.
The field, which holds an estimated 36 million barrels of oil, has been tied back to Norne through existing infrastructure.
Verdande is primarily an oil field with associated gas and comprises the Cape Vulture and Alve Nord East discoveries, proven in 2017 and 2020.
It includes three wells tied back to Norne via a subsea template and pipeline. The field lies about seven kilometers north of Norne and roughly 200 kilometers from Sandnessjøen.
The partnership consists of Equinor Energy (operator, 59.3%), Petoro (22.4%), DNO Norge (10.5%), Aker BP (3.5%), Japex Norge (3.5%) and Orlen Upstream Norway (0.8%). DNO has agreed to acquire Aker BP’s and Orlen Upstream’s equity stakes, pending government approval.
Oil from Norne is exported by shuttle tankers, while associated gas flows through the Åsgard Transport pipeline to Kårstø.
“I am proud that, in close collaboration with our licence partners and suppliers, we have delivered the Verdande project on schedule, less than three years after the partnership made the investment decision. Fast and cost-efficient field developments like this – where smaller discoveries are realised through smart use of existing infrastructure – are key to further developing the Norwegian continental shelf,” said Trond Bokn, senior vice president for project development at Equinor.