Field developments
15/01/2015 In 2014, the authorities received one Plan for Development and Operation (PDO), for a minor gas discovery near the Statoil-operated Gullfaks Rimfaksdalen in the North Sea. The 34/10-53 S discovery will be developed with a seabed template tied in to Gullfaks A.
At the end of last year, eleven fields were under development on the Norwegian shelf: Nine of these were in the North Sea, one in the Norwegian Sea and one in the Barents Sea.
The North Sea
Five new production facilities resting on the seabed are under construction in the North Sea. Two of these will be installed on the Gina Krog and Martin Linge fields, which were both proven as early as 1978. Technology development as well as new subsurface information helped the licensees make the development decision in 2012. Statoil-operated Gina Krog is located about 30 kilometres northwest of Sleipner. The hydrocarbons from this field will be transferred to Sleipner for final processing, and an oil storage vessel will be used. Total-operated Martin Linge is located about 42 kilometres west of the Oseberg area near the demarcation line with the UK sector. A storage vessel will be used here as well for the oil that will be produced in addition to the gas resources. Martin Linge will be operated with electric power from shore. Production is planned to start on Gina Krog and Martin Linge in 2017 and late 2016, respectively.
Lundin and Det Norske's PDOs were approved for Edvard Grieg and Ivar Aasen in 2012 and 2013, respectively. These are two relatively new fields which were proven in 2007 and 2008, respectively. They are both located on the Utsira High and the development solutions are coordinated. The hydrocarbons from Ivar Aasen will be transferred to Edvard Grieg for final processing. The Edvard Grieg field will also transmit power to Ivar Aasen. Production is planned to start on Edvard Grieg and Ivar Aasen in late 2015 and 2016, respectively.
The Hanz field – which is operated by Det Norske – will be developed with seabed templates tied in to Ivar Aasen. The time of development and start of production will be adapted to production on Ivar Aasen.
Statoil-operated Valemon, proven in 1985, is a gas field located due west of Kvitebjørn. The PDO was approved in 2011, and the field started production on 3 January 2015. Valemon has been developed with a production installation resting on the seabed with a simplified separation process. The condensate and gas are transferred to Kvitebjørn and Heimdal, respectively. The facility is remotely operated from Kvitebjørn.
Knarr, which is located about 50 kilometres northeast of Snorre, is the first major development project for BG on the Norwegian shelf. The field has been developed with a floating production facility (FPSO), which was built at the Samsung shipyard in South Korea and chartered by Teekay. After staying a few months at Aibel's shipyard in Haugesund, the ship was towed out on the field in November 2014. Production is planned to start in early 2015.
Bøyla was proven in 2009 and its PDO was approved in 2012. The oil discovery has been developed with a subsea installation tied in to the Alvheim FPSO, which is located about 28 kilometres further north. Det Norske took over operatorship from Marathon in 2014. Production is planned to start in early 2015.
Flyndre is a small oil field located west of Ekofisk and which straddles the demarcation line between the UK and Norway. The majority of resources are located on the UK side. Mærsk Oil is the operator, and the field's development plan calls for a horizontal seabed template on the UK side, tied in to the Clyde field in the UK. Flyndre's PDO was approved in 2014, and production is planned to start in the second quarter of 2016.
The Norwegian Sea
Statoil-operated Aasta Hansteen is located about 320 kilometres west of Bodø, and will be developed with the first Spar facility – a floating field centre – on the Norwegian shelf. Water depth in the area is 1270 metres, and new technology has been developed to make field development possible. The field was proven in 1997 and its PDO was approved in 2013. The field primarily contains gas. The decision to develop a new gas pipeline (Polarled) to Nyhamna was made simultaneously with the decision to develop Aasta Hansteen. A decision was made during the same period to upgrade Nyhamna to receive gas from Aasta Hansteen and Polarled. Aasta Hansteen and Polarled will make it possible to develop other gas discoveries in the Norwegian Sea. The plan is to start production in late 2017.
The Barents Sea
Eni-operated Goliat was proven in 2000 and its PDO was approved in 2009. This will be the first oil field in the Barents Sea, and will be developed with a cylindrical, floating production facility – the first of the Sevan type on the Norwegian shelf. Production was originally scheduled to start in November 2013, but postponed until 2015.
Updated: 21/01/2015