Total's work off Norway to extend life of oil field TOTAL, France, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- French energy company Total said the start of oil production off Norway would extend the life of an existing field by 40 years. Total said it started oil production from the Efofisk South project two months ahead of schedule. The company expects the production capacity to reach 70,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and includes drilling plans for 35 production wells. "Ekofisk came on stream in 1971 and is still one of the largest oil fields in Norway," Patrice de Vivies, a vice president in charge of exploration in northern Europe, said in a statement Monday. The Ekofisk South project is an important building block to extend the lifespan of Ekofisk for some 40 further years. The field is approximately 186 miles off the Norwegian coast. Development plans for Efofisk South were approved by the Norwegian government in 2011. The Norwegian government estimates its continental shelf holds 88 billion barrels of total petroleum reserves.