Equinor struck oil in exploration well 7720/7-DD-1H, Drivis Tubåen, on the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea. According to preliminary estimates the size of the discovery is 9-15 million barrels of oil.
The oil was proven in a new segment called the Tubåen formation 1769 m below the seabed in 345 m of water. The well was drilled by the Transocean Enabler drilling rig as an exploratory extension from a production well. The licensees will consider tie-in of the discovery to the Johan Castberg field.
The Barents Sea is the least explored ocean area on the Norwegian continental shelf. Going forward, two rigs will drill both production wells and new exploration wells in the areas around Johan Castberg and Goliat. Equinor will drill one to two exploration wells annually around Johan Castberg.
“The Johan Castberg volume base originally estimated at 450–650 million barrels, our clear ambition is to increase the reserves by a another 250–550 million barrels,” said Grete Birgitte Haaland, Equinor’s senior vice president for Exploration & Production North. “To realize this, we are planning six new IOR (increased oil recovery) wells and continuous exploration activity. At the same time, we will develop Isflak as a rapid field expansion with planned start-up in 2028.”（2025-07-01）
