Equinor plans to drill new wells at Martin Linge field to secure production as several of the plant’s wells do not have the necessary barriers, according to a press release.

The Norwegian state-run oil and gas company will drill three wells, in addition to the two remaining wells from the plan for development and operation for the field to produce as originally planned. For measure, the cost of drilling three new wells will total about NOK 2 billion ($219.4 million).

This comes after an in-depth analysis of the wells drilled at Martin Linge found that several wells do not have the necessary barriers.

Geir Tungesvik, Project and Drilling Manager at Equinor, said, “The wells are considered safe as they are now, but we will keep them plugged and under continuous monitoring until we have reduced the pressure in the formation by producing from other wells. Safety is always priority number one.”

Equinor took over as operator in the Martin Linge field from Total in 2018, with four wells drilled pre-2018 showing well barrier deficiencies.

Equinor is the majority shareholder and operator of Martin Linge with a 70% interest, followed by Petoro with a 30% share.