Equinor has discovered oil in the Troll area and gas and condensate in the Sleipner area. Both discoveries are considered commercial and were made in areas with well-developed infrastructure for export to Europe.
The Byrding C discovery was made five kilometres northwest of the Fram field in the Troll area and is estimated to contain 4–8 million barrels of recoverable oil.
The Frida Kahlo discovery was drilled from the Sleipner B platform. The well is located northwest of the Sleipner Vest field and is estimated to contain 5–9 million barrels of oil equivalent of gas and condensate. The well will be brought on stream as early as April.
Discovery in the Troll area
Since 2018, Equinor has participated in the drilling of 26 exploration wells in the extended Troll area, which also includes Fram. Nineteen discoveries have been made, giving a discovery rate of more than 70 percent.
“Near-field discoveries like these are important to maintain high energy deliveries from the Norwegian continental shelf going forward. The oil discovered in Byrding C will be produced using existing or future infrastructure in the area. We are working together with our licensees to identify good area solutions,” says Lill H. Brusdal, vice president for exploration and production in the Troll area.
Discoveries in the Sleipner area
The four most recent exploration wells in the Sleipner area have all proven gas and condensate, with combined estimated resources of 55–140 million barrels of oil equivalent. The four discoveries were made over a three-month period and include Lofn, Langemann, Sissel and Frida Kahlo. Lofn and Langemann together represented the largest Equinor-operated discovery on the Norwegian continental shelf in 2025.
“These discoveries are the result of a targeted exploration effort in the Sleipner area. Sleipner is an important hub for gas exports to Europe, and we must do everything we can to identify the remaining resources in the area. The discoveries give grounds for optimism as we plan to drill three additional exploration wells and two new production wells in the area this year,” says Cecilie Rønning, vice president for exploration and production in the Sleipner area.
Sleipner is a mature area where the largest volumes have already been produced. The fields in the area therefore depend on new discoveries to maintain profitable production and extend their lifetime. Several years ago, an ambitious exploration programme was established for the area, including the acquisition of new data and improved seismic methods.
The use of Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) seismic, 4D seismic, and reprocessing of existing data has provided a new and improved understanding of the subsurface on the Norwegian continental shelf and has contributed to exploration success in both the Sleipner and Troll areas.
