Recently completed appraisal wells in the Johan Sverdrup area have proven increased oil volumes. Discoveries made in the Tonjer wells and Geitungen will now form the basis for Johan Sverdrup phase 4.

“These are important and profitable volumes for Johan Sverdrup. By tying new resources to existing infrastructure, we can develop them quickly, with low costs and low emissions. At the same time, they contribute to maintaining production and value creation from one of Norway’s largest oil-producing field over time,” says Kjetil Hove, executive vice president for Development and Production Norway.

The volumes from Tonjer west and east, and Geitungen are planned to be developed through a subsea development tied back to existing infrastructure on Johan Sverdrup. The resources will help maintain production from the field.

“Johan Sverdrup has been the backbone of Norwegian oil production since its inception. In order to maintain production and value creation for decades to come, we must continuously develop new resources around the existing infrastructure. Phase 4 is a good example of how we can get more out of a world-class field,” says Hove.

Tonjer is located in the northernmost part of the Geitungen terrace in the Johan Sverdrup area. Oil has previously been discovered in the area, but the volumes and potential have been uncertain. The drilling of two appraisal wells and a sidetrack has now provided the basis for a more precise assessment of the resource base.

Preliminary estimates for Tonjer and Geitungen combined are between 20 and 30 million barrels of oil equivalent. Further analyses of subsurface data will form the basis for more precise resource estimates.

The project is now being matured towards an investment decision with a possible production start-up in 2029 as part of Equinor’s plans to accelerate the company’s large portfolio of subsea developments.

The goal is to increase value creation from existing fields through faster project development and an increase in the number of subsea developments tied back to existing infrastructure. This also reflects the partners’ common strategy.

The licensees in the Johan Sverdrup Unit are: Equinor (42.62%), Aker BP (31.57%), Petoro (17.36%) and TotalEnergies (8.44%).