Equinor Finds New Gas at Gullfaks South in North Sea

MONTREAL (Oil Monster): Equinor and its partners have made a new natural gas discovery at the Gullfaks South field in Norway's North Sea, adding potentially recoverable resources to a mature production area.

Equinor estimates the discovery contains between 0.5 million and 1.6 million standard cubic metres of recoverable oil equivalent, corresponding to approximately 3.3 million to 10.3 million barrels of oil equivalent.

The discovery is located about 190 kilometres northwest of Bergen within the existing Gullfaks production licence.

Discovery Made Through Production-Well Sidetrack

The exploration well was drilled as a sidetrack while Equinor was carrying out work on a production well at Gullfaks South.

Using an existing drilling campaign allowed the partners to test additional exploration potential without launching a separate standalone exploration program.

The well, formally named 34/10-D-4 BH, was drilled by the Askeladden rig.

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate lists the well within production licence 050 at Gullfaks South and confirms Equinor Energy as the drilling operator.

Small Discovery Could Still Be Commercially Attractive

Although the estimated volume is modest compared with major standalone discoveries, its location inside an established producing area could improve its development economics.

Gunnar Egge, Equinor's vice president for Gullfaks, said the result demonstrates the value of making discoveries through cost-efficient exploration wells.

Equinor expects the additional resources to help support continued activity and production from the Gullfaks area.

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Discovery Sits Inside Existing Gullfaks Licence

The new gas accumulation is located within the Gullfaks production licence and has the same ownership group as the wider Gullfaks development: Equinor, Petoro and OMV.

Its location inside an established field area is significant because existing wells, platforms and associated infrastructure can potentially reduce the cost and complexity of bringing smaller discoveries into production.

Equinor has increasingly used near-field exploration around producing assets to identify additional resources capable of extending field life.

Gullfaks Has Produced Since the 1980s

The Gullfaks field, located in block 34/10 of the Norwegian North Sea, has been producing since the 1980s.

Production in the wider area is supported by the Gullfaks A, B and C platforms together with satellite developments including Gullfaks South.

The latest discovery illustrates how smaller volumes around established infrastructure can continue adding value even after decades of production.

Norwegian Gas Remains Important to Europe

The discovery comes as Norway continues to play a major role in European natural gas supply.

Norway's mature North Sea fields remain important sources of pipeline gas, making efforts to extend production from existing infrastructure increasingly relevant as older reservoirs decline.

OilMonster reported earlier this year that Norwegian gas output reached its highest monthly level of 2025 in December, underscoring the country's continuing importance to European supply.

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What Happens Next

Equinor has not announced a separate development timetable for the newly identified resources.

Because the discovery lies within the existing Gullfaks production licence, the partners can evaluate whether the gas can be incorporated into future field-development and production plans using existing infrastructure.

The size estimate may also be refined as the partners complete their technical evaluation of the well results.

Explore More on OilMonster

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• Norway Gas Output Hits 2025 High, Boosts Europe's Energy Security
• Norway to Cut Gas Export Capacity 20% for Maintenance

Source: Equinor; Norwegian Offshore Directorate.