Equinor and Aker BP have announced a new gas and condensate discovery in the North Sea after drilling two wildcat exploration wells at the Lofn and Langemann prospects within Production Licence 1140. The wells, designated 15/5-8 S and 15/5-8 A, were drilled approximately 7 kilometers north of the Eirin field and 240 kilometers west of Stavanger using the Deepsea Atlantic rig.

Resource Estimates and Geological Findings

Preliminary estimates indicate the Lofn prospect contains between 22 and 63 million barrels of oil equivalent, while the Langemann prospect could hold 6 to 50 million barrels. Both wells encountered hydrocarbons in the Middle Jurassic Hugin Formation, confirming the presence of gas and condensate in sandstone reservoirs. While deeper Triassic targets were found to be water-bearing, extensive data and samples were collected to support further analysis.

Development Strategy and Significance

The companies will now assess development options, with a focus on potential tiebacks to existing North Sea infrastructure. This approach is emphasized as a key method for maximizing the value of smaller discoveries. The discovery concludes a highly successful exploration year for Aker BP, which, including the earlier Omega Alfa and Kjøttkake finds, has added over 100 million barrels net to the company in 2025. This marks Aker BP's most successful exploration year since the 2010 Johan Sverdrup discovery and is considered crucial for sustaining production above 500,000 barrels per day into the 2030s.