Equinor doubles Afrodite gas estimate after appraisal well

Equinor said a new appraisal well at its Afrodite discovery in the Norwegian North Sea shows recoverable gas and condensate volumes of 77 to 180 million barrels of oil equivalent, more than twice its previous estimate.

Why it matters: Equinor considers the 2008 discovery commercially viable and is working on a subsea tie-back to the Kvitebjørn platform, which would send the gas through existing infrastructure to the Kollsnes processing plant and on to the European market, adding supply from a mature area of the Norwegian continental shelf.

Data as of Equinor's own news release of October 29, 2026, read in full in this run; all volumes and plans are the company's own. OilPrice.com's report of the same release was also read in full and agrees. Single primary source, the company itself, hence grade B. Developing item.

Equinor has more than doubled its resource estimate for the Afrodite gas discovery near the Kvitebjørn field in the Norwegian North Sea. A branch appraisal well drilled this autumn puts recoverable gas and condensate at between 77 and 180 million barrels of oil equivalent, the company said on Thursday; the total volumes in the reservoir are about three times as large, but low reservoir permeability means only part can be recovered.

Afrodite was discovered in 2008. Equinor considers it commercially viable and will continue work on a possible subsea development tied back to the Kvitebjørn platform, with gas then sent via existing infrastructure to the Kollsnes processing plant in Øygarden and on to the European market. “To find such large gas volumes in a mature area on the Norwegian continental shelf is very good,” said Kjetil Hove, Equinor’s executive vice president for Exploration & Production Norway. The appraisal well was drilled by the Deepsea Yantai rig; Wellesley operated the well and Equinor operates the production licence.

Equinor doubles Afrodite gas estimate after appraisal well

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