EKOFISK

group of Norwegian offshore natural-gas and oil fields located in the North Sea about 180 miles (290 km) southwest of Norway, halfway between Norway and the United Kingdom. The Ekofisk district includes the Ekofisk field itself (1969; petroleum) and the original, relatively small natural-gas discovery at Cod (1968), as well as petroleum fields at Tor (1970), West Ekofisk (1970), and Albuskjell (1972). Production began in 1971; by 1980 there were 18 offshore platforms and 50 operating wells. The Ekofisk field is the major producer in the group. A pipeline carries petroleum from Ekofisk to refineries in Teesside, England; a natural-gas pipeline extends from the Cod field to Emden, Ger.