Wedoany.com Report-Mar 19, Equinor has commenced gas production from the Halten East development in the Norwegian Sea.
Subsea template installation for Halten East.
The project became onstream with the first well, named Gamma, becoming operational, just two years after the plan for development and operation (PDO) of the field secured green light from the authorities.
Halten East is positioned within the Kristin-Åsgard area in the Norwegian Sea.
As a tie-in development, the field leverages the existing infrastructure and processing facilities at Åsgard B. It incorporates six gas discoveries and has the provision for integrating three additional prospects.
This development is set to unfold in two phases, with the initial phase comprising six wells from five discoveries. The second phase, planned to become operational in 2029, is expected to introduce a sidetrack and potentially three more wells.
The combined investment for both phases of the Halten East project is projected to be around NOK9bn ($850m).
Equinor projects, drilling, and procurement executive vice president Geir Tungesvik said: “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.”
The Halten East reservoirs, rich in gas and condensate, are estimated to hold recoverable reserves of approximately 100 million barrels of oil equivalent. The extracted gas will be transported to the Kårstø processing plant via Åsgard B and subsequently exported to European markets via pipeline.
Equinor said that approximately 90% of the Halten East investments were allocated to Norwegian suppliers. In terms of employment, the development phase is estimated to generate around 3,000 person-years of work annually from 2022 to 2029.
Equinor is the operator of the offshore field. In November 2024, the Norwegian firm increased its stake in Halten East to 69.5% after acquiring Sval Energi’s 11.8% share.
The other stakeholders are Vår Energi (24.6%) and Petoro (5.9%).
