Equinor starts up Halten East gas project off Norway

Norway

STAVANGER, March 17, 2025 – Equinor has started production at the Halten East natural gas development in the Norwegian Sea, the company said on Monday.

The start-up comes two years after Norwegian authorities approved the project.

Partners in the project include Equinor Energy (69.5%, operator), Vår Energi (24.6%) and Petoro (5.9%).

“We are starting up Halten East at a time where piped gas from Norway is in high demand and important for energy security. In a challenging cost and inflation environment, the project has been delivered both on time and within our cost estimate,” Geir Tungesvik, executive vice-president for projects, drilling and procurement in Equinor, said.

The estimated pay-back time for the project is one year.

Halten East is a tie-in development located in the Kristin-Åsgard area in the Norwegian Sea. Vår Energi and Petoro are partners. The development consists of six gas discoveries and flexibility for three prospects in addition, utilising existing infrastructure and processing capacity at Åsgard B.

The plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved by authorities in February of 2023. Now, gas from the first well Gamma is on stream two years later, on plan. The first phase consists of six wells from five discoveries. The second phase is planned in 2029. It will include a sidetrack and an additional three possible wells. The total investment of the project is around NOK 9 billion for both phases.

The reservoirs of Halten East contain gas and condensate. The recoverable reserves are estimated to be around 100 million barrels of oil equivalent from the discoveries. The gas will be sent to Kårstø from Åsgard B, from where it will be exported to Europe via pipeline.

“Halten East demonstrates the importance of area solutions and cooperation between licence owners and authorities to realise the full resource potential on the Norwegian continental shelf. Together, we can develop industrial solutions that will continue to deliver energy with low costs and low emissions. We have a large portfolio of projects that will connect discoveries to our producing hubs. Equinor expects to put over 30 such projects on stream at the NCS within 2035,” Kjetil Hove, executive vice-president for development and production on the Norwegian continental shelf, said.

Around 90% of Halten East investments have gone to suppliers in Norway. The development phase of Halten East is estimated to provide around 3000 person-years of employment per year from 2022 to 2029.

In November 2024, Equinor acquired Sval Energi’s 11.8% share in the Halten East Unit, increasing its ownership to 69.5%.

Photo of the Subsea template installation for Halten East courtesy of Equinor