Double win for Equinor in North Sea as two gas and condensate discoveries spring up

December 5, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

Norway’s state-owned oil and gas giant Equinor has made two new discoveries of gas and condensate in the Sleipner area of the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, which it describes as its largest finds so far this year. The company claims that these discoveries can be developed for the European market through existing infrastructure.

The two wells, Lofn and Langemann, in production license 1140, are located between the Gudrun and Eirin fields. The preliminary estimates indicate that the reservoirs may contain between 5 and 18 million standard cubic meters of recoverable oil equivalents, corresponding to 30 to 110 million barrels. The wells were drilled by Odfjell Drilling’s Deepsea Atlantic rig, which will move to the next exploration well in the area.

Kjetil Hove, Equinor’s Executive Vice President for Exploration & Production Norway, commented: “This demonstrates the importance of maintaining exploration activity on the Norwegian continental shelf. There are still significant energy resources on the shelf, and Europe needs stable oil and gas deliveries.

“Discoveries near existing fields can be developed quickly through subsea facilities, with limited environmental impact, very low CO2 emissions from production, and strong profitability. Equinor plans to accelerate such developments on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.”

The production license was awarded to the Norwegian energy giant in 2022. The drilling targets were identified using ocean bottom node (OBN) seismic technology, where sensors are placed on the seabed to provide more precise geological data than traditional surface seismic.

“The Sleipner area is an important hub for Norwegian gas exports to Europe. These discoveries strengthen our optimism for further exploration in the area. Together with our partners, we are committed to drill five additional exploration wells going forward. Adding new volumes is essential to maintain export capacity and value creation from the area,” added Hove.

Equinor’s partner, Aker BP, highlights that the wells 15/5-8 S (Lofn) and 15/5-8 A (Langemann) were drilled around 40 kilometers northwest of Sleipner A and between the Gudrun and Eirin fields.

Both wells encountered gas and condensate in the Hugin formation, which consists of high-quality sandstone reservoirs. The wells are classified as high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) and have been permanently plugged and abandoned after extensive data collection.

Karl Johnny Hersvik, CEO of Aker BP, underlined: “The Lofn and Langemann discovery marks the conclusion of a strong exploration year for Aker BP. Across three major discoveries, we have added more than 100 million barrels net to the company, including Omega Alfa and Kjøttkake earlier this year.

“This makes 2025 our most successful exploration year since Johan Sverdrup was discovered in 2010. These results are key to sustaining production above 500,000 barrels per day into the 2030s. The progress achieved this year reinforces our confidence in delivering on that trajectory.”

The Sleipner assets include the gas and condensate Sleipner Øst, Gungne, and Sleipner Vest fields and process hydrocarbons from the connected fields: Sigyn, Utgard, Gudrun, and Gina Krog.

Seen as a key transport and gas hub, delivering dry gas to Europe, while unstable oil is transported to Kårstø for further processing and export, this asset also serves as a hub for gas from Kollsnes and Nyhamna, which is transported onward to Draupner, Zeebrugge, and Easington.

Sleipner field in the North Sea; Courtesy of Equinor

The partnership now plans to evaluate development options that leverage existing infrastructure for efficient and low-emission production. The latest gas and condensate finds come after
the completion of the Omega Alfa exploration campaign in the Norwegian North Sea in August 2025, resulting in a large oil discovery with recoverable volumes estimated at 96 to 134 mmboe.

Omega Alfa is perceived to be among the largest commercial discoveries in Norway in a decade. Building on the momentum from East Frigg in 2023, the discovery is said to underscore how innovative exploration methods deliver results and push boundaries. These hydrocarbon finds mark a major step toward Aker BP’s ambition of producing more than one billion barrels from the Yggdrasil area.

During the first quarter, the partnership also made an oil and gas discovery at Kjøttkake in licence PL1182S in the Northern North Sea, where the reservoir shows good quality, with recoverable volumes estimated at 39 to 75 mmboe near existing infrastructure in the Troll-Gjøa area.

View on Offshore-energy.

Through a transaction with Japex announced in July this year, Aker BP increased its ownership in Kjøttkake to 45%. Last month, the firm also entered into an agreement with DNO to secure the transfer of operatorship in the development phase.

This will enable the company to leverage on its fast-track development capabilities for efficient project execution, as the partnership is already evaluating development solutions with first oil now targeted in 2028.