Equinor and its partners have pushed back by up to four years the final investment decision for the deep-water Wisting oilfield development offshore Norway after predicted costs spiralled by some 60%, just weeks after stating that there were no technical or environmental hurdles to the project being sanctioned in December.

On Thursday the Norwegian operator said that the Wisting co-venturers are now continuing to mature the project and are now aiming for an investment “by end of 2026”.