The Gjoa Subsea Projects comprise three discoveries – Ofelia, Gjoa Nord, also known as Hamlet, and Cerisa – located in separate production licences north of the Gjoa field in the northern North Sea.
The fields are due to be developed using subsea facilities tied back to existing Gjoa field infrastructure, with the Gjoa Semi floating production platform acting as the host for operations, processing and export.
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Vår Energi serves as the operator for the project and currently holds a 40% working interest in Ofelia, 30% in Gjoa Nord and 30% in Cerisa.
The Ofelia field partners are Pandion Energy (20%), Harbour Energy (20%), Aker BP (10%) and DNO Norge (10%). Gjøa Nord field partners are Petoro (30%), Harbour Energy (28%) and OKEA (12%), while Cerisa field partners are INPEX (30%), Orlen (30%) and DNO Norge (10%).
In June 2026, Pandion Energy agreed to sell its remaining participating interests on the Norwegian Continental Shelf to Vår Energi, which includes its stake in the Ofelia field. DNO also announced a multi-asset deal with Vår Energi that will increase its ownership position in the Gjoa field and the Gjoa Nord discovery by 5% in exchange for transferring a 5% interest in the Nova field. The transactions are expected to be completed in H2 2026.
In the same month, Vår Energi announced the final investment decision for the project. Together with its partners, the company submitted the plan for development and operations for the project to the Ministry of Energy.
First production from Cerisa is expected in the third quarter of 2027, while Ofelia and Gjoa Nord are scheduled to start up in the second half of 2028. Total investment is estimated at Nkr11–12bn ($1.1bn–1.2bn).
The developments are expected to extend the economic life of the area from the early 2030s to around 2040, supporting additional tie-back opportunities and near-field exploration.
Gjoa Subsea Projects location
The Ofelia, Gjoa Nord and Cerisa discoveries lie north of the Gjoa field.
Ofelia is in production licence PL 929 in block 35/6, Gjoa Nord is in PL 153 in block 35/9 and Cerisa is within PL 636 in block 36/7.
The three discoveries are located approximately 41km, 39km and 35km west of the Norwegian coast, respectively, in water depths ranging from 329m to 360m.
Field discovery
Ofelia was discovered in 2022 by Neptune Energy and partners and was appraised with a well in the Agat formation in the fall of 2023.
Gjoa Nord was discovered in the spring of 2022, while Cerisa was discovered in 2024.
Reserves and reservoir details
The developments cover around 76 million barrels of oil equivalent (mboe) gross in proved plus probable reserves.
Ofelia’s reservoirs are turbiditic sandstones in the Agat and Kyrre formations. The reservoirs in both formations are heterogeneous, with the Agat formation reservoir having moderate reservoir properties, while the Kyrre formation reservoir has very good reservoir properties.
Cerisa Main is a stratigraphic trap in Agat Formation sandstone, with pressure reduced due to production from the Duva field. Cerisa West is a separate stratigraphic trap that has also been depressurised by Duva, with limited or no communication with Cerisa Main. The reservoirs are heterogeneous and the oil is described as comparable to Duva.
Gjoa Nord comprises turbiditic sandstones deposited within a relatively confined system, held in a combined structural and stratigraphic trap across several segments.
Gjoa Subsea Projects production details
The selected development concept for Ofelia includes two horizontal oil producers in the Agat formation and a highly deviated gas producer in the Kyrre formation. It is set to be produced under natural pressure depletion, with aquifer support expected from both the north and south.
Oil production at start-up is expected to be around 310,000m³ a year, followed by a gradual decline over field life. Gas is forecast to start at around 450,000m³ of oil equivalent a year, increase to roughly 800,000m³ in 2029 and then decline towards 2040.
Gjoa Nord is set to be produced through natural pressure relief using a single oil well from a well template, tied back to Gjoa Semi and existing infrastructure. Start-up oil production is estimated at around 180,000m³ a year, with annual volumes projected at 530,000m³ in 2029 and 290,000m³ in 2030, before declining thereafter. Gas output is expected to be about 100,000m³ a year at start-up, rising to 300,000m³ a year in 2029 and 200,000m³ a year in 2030.
Cerisa is expected to be developed with one or two oil producers drilled from Duva K, with production planned under natural pressure relief. Oil production at start-up in 2027 is projected at around 110,000m³ a year, rising to 280,000m³ in 2028 and then falling gradually. Gas production is expected to begin at around 200,000m³ a year, peak at 900,000m³ in 2028 and then reduce to 500,000m³ in 2029.
Pipelines and control cables
Ofelia production will be transported through an approximately 15km-long 12in pipe-in-pipe pipeline, routed via the Gjoa G well template and connected into the existing oil pipeline to Gjoa and the Gjoa second stage separator.
The Ofelia production and gas lift pipeline will incorporate in-line tees so that Gjoa Nord can be tied directly into the same system using connecting spools. The Ofelia N to Gjoa G pipeline will pass the Gjoa Nord well template and include in-line tees to enable direct tie-in. Electrically actuated remotely operated valves will be installed in the tee arrangement to isolate the Gjoa Nord template from the Ofelia pipeline system.
Ofelia Agat will receive natural gas through a 15.3km-long 4.9in carbon steel pipeline from the Gjoa G well frame. No additional pipelines are planned for Cerisa.
A control cable of approximately 16km will run from a new control cable splitter at the Duva K well template, enabling Ofelia and potential future tie-ins to be controlled and supplied with power, fibre-optics and chemicals via Duva’s main control cable.
Contractors involved
In June 2026, Vår Energi awarded TechnipFMC an integrated engineering, procurement, construction and installation contract covering the Ofelia and Gjoa Nord developments.
