Start of production on Gullfaks A

As Christmas drew near on Gullfaks A, advent stars and candles were not the focus. A December 1986 issue of Status Bergen made it clear they had a single goal: to light the flare – a flame that would keep burning long after the holiday season.

That flame would be the visible proof that the platform was producing oil and gas.

The magazine went to print before 22 December 1986, the date when, according to the article, the CEO of Statoil Arve Johnsen, would initiate oil production by pressing a button in the Gullfaks A control room. Start-up was to be marked with simple refreshments in the canteen at Sandsli on 23 December.[REMOVE]Fotnote:Status Bergen (Statoil), 1986, vol. 5, no. 11, “I produksjon før jul,” 3, Nasjonalbiblioteket.

We now know it unfolded just as Status Bergen wrote. On 22 December, production began from four subsea wells.[REMOVE]Fotnote: “Gullfaks,” Equinor, https://www.equinor.com/energy/gullfaks, accessed January 27, 2025.We also know that production, on top of everything, started half a year ahead of schedule, thanks in part to the fact that Gullfaks A initially produced from pre-drilled subsea wells rather than from wells drilled from the platform.

The platform’s official opening was later marked in June 1987, the date production originally had been scheduled to start.

The start of production on the Gullfaks field in December 1986 and the takeover of operatorship on the Statfjord field at the turn of the year 1986/87 marked a major change for Statoil. The company went from being a desk-bound organization to becoming a company that produced oil and gas.