Several North Sea oil & gas discoveries fusing into large subsea tie-back project

June 18, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Norway’s state-owned energy giant Equinor has unveiled a concept for a development that aims to combine several discoveries in the North Sea into a single project, with estimated gross resources of approximately 240 million barrels of oil equivalent, making it one of the largest early-phase development projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

Ringvei Vest concept combines several discoveries in one project; Source: Equinor

Equinor and its partners have agreed on the concept for Ringvei Vest, a large subsea development project linked to the Troll B platform in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. This project entails the Grosbeak, Swisher, Mulder, Kveikje, Toppand, Røver Sør, and Røver Nord discoveries, alongside the prospect Grønngylt, with resources spread across eight licences, which have a total of seven owners.

Following the company’s recently announced transactions with Aker BP, pending government approval, the ownership structure in Grosbeak within PL 090JS includes Equinor (operator, 21%), Inpex Idemitsu Norge (40%), Wellesley Petroleum (5%), Vår Energi (15%), and Aker BP (19%). While Grosbeak in PL 925 partners are Equinor (operator, 66%), Wellesley Petroleum (5%), Vår Energi (10%), and Aker BP (19%), Grosbeak in PL248I includes Equinor (operator, 36%), Petoro (40%), Wellesley Petroleum (5%), and Aker BP (19%).

The owners of Kveikje in PL 293B/CS are Equinor (operator, 51%), DNO Norge (20%), Inpex Idemitsu Norge (10%), and Aker BP (19%). Swisher in PL 24BC entails Equinor (operator, 26%), Petoro (40%), Wellesley Petroleum (15%), and Aker BP (19%). The partners in Mulder within PL 090 are Equinor (operator, 45%), Inpex Idemitsu Norge (15%), and Vår Energi (40%).

Toppand in PL 630 includes Equinor (operator, 76%), Wellesley Petroleum (5%), and Aker BP (19%). Røver Nord/Røver Sør in PL 923 encompasses Equinor (operator, 61%), Petoro (20%), and Aker BP (19%). Grønngylt in PL090 is owned by Equinor (operator, 45%), Inpex Idemitsu Norge (15%), and Vår Energi (40%).

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As the operator of all the licences, Equinor has acted as the area architect, and together with partners has evaluated different solutions to decide which discoveries to include in the development as well as host platform. This concept agreement is said to mark an important milestone in the maturation of the project, establishing a development solution for seven discoveries and one prospect, while paving the way for a potential common field development.

Kjetil Hove, Executive Vice President for Exploration and Production Norway at Equinor, commented: “We estimate that Ringvei Vest will contribute 240 million barrels of oil equivalent. A solid effort has been put in over a long period, and I am confident that together with partners and authorities, we have arrived at the best development solution, which also ensures optimal resource utilisation.

“The Norwegian Continental Shelf is maturing, new discoveries are smaller and costs are increasing. To maintain a high activity level and reliable energy supplies to Europe, it is important to develop marginal discoveries near existing infrastructure and collaborate across licenses. Equinor aims to increase our equity production from the Norwegian Continental Shelf to 1.3 million barrels per day in 2035.”

Ringvei Vest covers a large area, and the plan is to drill a total of 13 wells through six templates. The well stream will be separated on the seabed before being transported to Troll B, which also provides power for the subsea facilities. The wells are planned to be controlled from the platform, with the oil then transported to Mongstad and the gas to Kollsnes.

The plans also include a new compressor on Troll B to increase processing capacity at the platform, which is partially powered from shore, enabling oil and gas in Ringvei Vest to be produced with low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Equinor claims that the decision on continuation (DG2) is planned for the end of the year, while the timeline for a final investment decision (FID), submission of the plan for development and operation, and production start-up is yet to be decided.