Norwegian energy company Equinor announced the start of production from the first wells of the La France field, marking the start of the first phase of the Christine South project to develop oil and gas fields in the North Sea.

This step is a quantum leap in Equinor’s journey to secure Europe’s growing energy needs with a focus on sustainability and cost efficiency.

The first phase of the Christine South project includes the development of the La France and Christine Kew fields, with an expected production of 58.2 million barrels equivalent, including 6.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 1.9 million cubic meters of oil.

The project is the beginning of the processing of oil and gas from the La France field, with the oil being transported via the storage ship “Asgard Sea” and the gas via pipelines to the European market.

Equinor participates in the development of the project at 54.82% with experienced partners, including Bitoro at 22.52%, Far Energy at 16.66%, and Total Energy EP Norge at 6%.

During the development stages, 4,000 jobs were created, with Norwegian suppliers acquiring more than 60% of development contracts, which strengthens the local economy and contributes to achieving sustainable development.

Equinor’s strategy focuses on developing infrastructure on the Norwegian continental shelf while taking advantage of carbon-reducing technologies, as the first phase’s emissions from drilling activities were limited to less than one kilogram of carbon dioxide/barrel equivalent, which confirms Equinor’s commitment to its environmental goals.