Equinor Brings Norway’s Northernmost Field On Stream (Video)
March 31, 2025
The Johan Castberg oil field in the Barents Sea came has come on stream, strengthening Norway’s role as a long-term energy exporter.
The Arctic field came online on March 31, at 10.35 local time.
Expected to be in production for 30 years, Johan Castberg can produce 220,000 barrels of oil per day at peak, with recoverable volumes estimated to be between 450 and 650 million barrels.
According to Equinor, which is the operator of the field, 12 of the 30 total wells are ready for production, which is sufficient to bring the field up to expected plateau production in the second quarter of 2025.
The drilling operations are expected to continue towards late 2026.
The Johan Castberg field consists of the Skrugard, Havis and Drivis discoveries, which were made between 2011 and 2014.
Aside from Equinor with 46.3% working interest, the partners in the development are Vår Energi with 30%, and Petoro with 23.7% stake.
Johan Castberg is located approximately 100 kilometers north of the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea in blocks 7219/9 and 7220/4,5,7 around 150 km from Goliat and 240 km from Melkøya.
The water depth is 360-390 meters, and Skrugard and Havis are 7 km apart.
Johan Castberg is the second oil field in the Barents Sea and Norway’s northernmost field.
The field development is based on a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel tied back to an extensive subsea field with a total of 30 wells distributed between 10 well templates and two satellite structures.
"This is a red-letter day. The Johan Castberg field will contribute crucial energy, value creation, ripple effects and jobs for at least 30 years to come. We expect that this major field development with a price tag of NOK 86 billion (2024) will be repaid in less than two years," said Geir Tungesvik, Equinor's executive vice president for Projects, Drilling and Procurement.
"Johan Castberg opens a new region for oil recovery and will create more opportunities in the Barents Sea. We've already made new discoveries in the area and will keep exploring together with our partners. We've identified options to add 250-550 million new recoverable barrels that can be developed and produced over Johan Castberg," added Kjetil Hove, Equinor's executive vice president for Exploration & Production Norway.
