The audit was conducted on 2 June 2026.

Background

The Norwegian continental shelf is undergoing change, with activity increasingly focused on more and smaller subsea developments that are connected to existing infrastructure. The number of licensees on the Norwegian continental shelf is also declining.

In light of the growing number of smaller development projects, Havtil has focused particular attention on the project phase. During this phase, licensees are involved, among other things, in establishing the financial framework for the development and ensuring that the operator complies with the regulations.

DNO has stakes in 130 licences, 30 of which are for producing fields. In the Dvalin Nord project, DNO is a licensee together with Petoro and Harbour (the operator).

The Dvalin Nord project is scheduled to start up shortly; it is a subsea facility from which production will be sent to Heidrun.

Dvalin

Dvalin is a field in the central part of the Norwegian Sea, 15 kilometres northwest of the Heidrun field. It consists of three separate structures, Dvalin East (proven in 2010) Dvalin West (proven in 2012) and Dvalin North (proven in 2021). The water depth is between 340 and 400 metres. The plan for development and production (PDO) for Dvalin East and West was approved in March 2017. The development concept is a subsea template with four gas producers tied-back to the Heidrun platform. Production started in 2020.

PDO for Dvalin North was approved in June 2023, and includes a subsea template with three production wells. Dvalin North is under development and is planned to start production in 2026.

Source: norskpetroleum.no

The regulations allocate responsibility in the Norwegian petroleum industry between various parties, including licensees, who:

  • are required to comply with the regulations by implementing the necessary systematic measures (Petroleum Act, section 10-6),
  • are responsible for ensuring that the operator complies with requirements set forth in safety legislation (Framework Regulations, section 7) and elsewhere, and
  • are responsible for the management of petroleum activities and shall ensure that such activities are conducted prudently, notably in respect of safety (Petroleum Act, section 10-2). This management responsibility presupposes that, at all times, licensees are able to make informed decisions concerning their petroleum activities (Petroleum Act, section 10-2).

Objective

The objective of the audit was to ensure that DNO is fulfilling its role as a licensee in the Dvalin Nord project in accordance with the HSE regulations.

Result

The audit did not identify any non-conformities.