Production start for Gullveig
As the availability of oil and gas accessible through drilling and well operations from the three fixed installations – Gullfaks A, B, and C – declined, attention turned to developing some of the many other discoveries in the area.
Since platforms with personnel, available processing capacity, oil storage, and infrastructure for oil and gas transport were already in place, it was natural to develop the new fields using subsea wells and templates.
Drilling and well operations were carried out by floating rigs.
Gullfaks Sør
Gullveig, Rimfaks, and Gullfaks Sør, as shown on the map above, along with Skinfaks and Gulltopp (developed later), are all part of Gullfaks Sør and are considered discoveries under this field.[REMOVE]Fotnote:«Gullfaks Sør» on Norwegian Petroleum. https://www.norskpetroleum.no/en/facts/field/gullfaks-sor/ Downloaded 8 January 2026.
Gullfaks Sør has been developed in several stages through different development and operation plans.
The term Gullfaks Sør is commonly used to describe the entire area, while the specific names are used when more precision is needed.
This article is the first part of a trilogy on the first phase of development of the area south of the Gullfaks platforms. Gullveig, Rimfaks, and Gullfaks Sør are defined as three discoveries, but are all part of the Gullfaks Sør field. They are also often referred to as satellites to Gullfaks.
Satellite Fields
The entire Gullfaks Sør (see fact box above) is an example of an area often referred to by different names, such as a field or a satellite to Gullfaks. This can be somewhat confusing, but according to a Norwegian dictionary, one definition of “satellite” is that it is a unit or geographic area that is controlled by another.[REMOVE]Fotnote:«Satellitt» på ordbøkene.no https://ordbokene.no/nno/bm,nn/satellitt Lasta ned 7. januar 2026.
This fits well for fields producing via seabed installations, since such production cannot occur without another installation to receive the well stream, process it, and transport it.
In other words, Gullfaks Sør can be described as both satellites and a field, or as a satellite field.
The first development phase focused primarily on oil, which was sent to Gullfaks A, while the second phase can broadly be said to focus on gas, which was sent to Gullfaks C.
Gullveig Was First
As mentioned, Gullveig came on stream in October 1998, followed by Rimfaks in February 1999 and Gullfaks Sør in March 1999 – all developed with subsea wells.
Subsea wells had been used before. Production at Gullfaks A, for example, began from such wells in 1986. More than ten years later, subsea technology had advanced even further.
The development of the southern satellite fields served as a pilot for the new Hinge Over Subsea Template (HOST) system. The template was developed by Kongsberg Offshore in collaboration with Statoil, Mobil, Elf, and Shell, and could be used at water depths of up to 2,500 meters.
The HOST system resulted in savings of 50 percent for the well template, subsea Christmas tree, and control system compared with the cost of similar developments on the Statfjord field.[REMOVE]Fotnote: Bryne, Berit. «Møter framtiden under vann» i Statoil magasin (trykt utg.). 1999 Vol. 21 Nr. 2, s. 22.
In total, 24 wells were brought into production in Phase I: one template at Gullveig, three templates at Rimfaks, and four at Gullfaks Sør.[REMOVE]Fotnote: Bryne, Berit. «Møter framtiden under vann» i Statoil magasin (trykt utg.). 1999 Vol. 21 Nr. 2, s. 22-23.
Modifications on Gullfaks AProduction start for Rimfaks