Equinor has started production at the Eirin field in the North Sea, with gas now being exported to Europe via the Gina Krog and Sleipner A platforms.
The subsea development, tied back to the Gina Krog platform, was completed in about three years and is expected to recover around 27.6 million barrels of oil equivalent, mainly gas.
Eirin, first discovered in 1978, was previously deemed uneconomic but was reassessed in 2023 as Norwegian gas gained importance following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The project is expected to extend the economic life of the Gina Krog platform to 2036, from a previous outlook of 2029, with total investments estimated at 4.5 billion Norwegian crowns.
The development uses existing infrastructure, with gas exported through the Gassled system and liquids sent to Kårstø for processing. The field is located about 250 km west of Stavanger in water depths of around 120 meters.
Equinor operates the license with a 58.7% interest, alongside ORLEN Upstream Norway, which holds 41.3%.
"The partnership saw an opportunity to contribute to Europe's energy security in a challenging time. We made an ambitious plan for a fast, cost-effective and safe development, which has now been realised. Eirin will extend production from the Gina Krog platform by seven years. This means gas to Europe and continued good value creation from the jobs associated with the platform.
"The project has given us important learnings on how to develop marginal discoveries quickly and profitably. Such subsea developments will be important for maintaining production and value creation from the Norwegian shelf in the future.
“Early collaboration, efficient decision-making processes and standardized solutions have been crucial to realizing Eirin in a short time. From the establishment of the project to the start of production, we have only spent three years," said Linda Kåda Høiland, senior vice president for late-life fields in Equinor.