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Released February 13, 2019 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Norway's oil and gas regulator the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has approved life extensions for two of Equinor's floating production, storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs), Asgard A and Norne.
Asgard A will now continue to operate to 2027--a total of 12 years longer than the original plan--while the Norne FPSO has had its production lifespan extended by four years to 2026. Asgard is a field located in the central part of the Norwegian Sea and produces gas and considerable amounts of condensate from Jurassic sandstone at depths of as much as 4,850 metres. It includes the deposits Smorbukk, Smorbukk Sor and Midgard. Production started in 1999, and gas export started in 2000.
"Asgard A plays a particularly important role in recovering as much as possible of the remaining liquid reserves in Smorbukk and Smorbukk Sor, as most of the gas injection wells on these fields are tied in to Asgard A and will rely on the gas injection from Asgard A through the 2020s," stated the NPD. "The licenses are also considering new drilling targets and wells linked to Asgard A both in the shorter and longer term, and they will be important measures to promote improved recovery."
The extension for the Norne field FPSO in the Norwegian Sea and associated subsea facilities at the Urd and Skuld fields followed Equinor's submission of an improved drainage strategy for all three fields. The Norne, Urd, Skuld, Alve and Marulk fields are tied in to the Norne ship.
The NPD said: "Analyses from the operator (Equinor) show that the resource base in the Norne area may contain enough to produce until the end of 2035. The original recoverable Norne reserves were about 72 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil (approx. 453 million barrels). Optimisation and measures to improve recovery have increased the recoverable oil reserves to about 93 million Sm3 (about 585 million barrels). Around 96% of the proven oil reserves have been produced. There are also five un-clarified discoveries within the production licence, as well as six un-clarified discoveries in nearby production licences. The NPD expects that continued work on these will ensure satisfactory recovery of the remaining oil and gas resources."
Last month, Industrial Info reported that Equinor had started production at Aasta Hansteen, the deepest gas field in the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), which it claimed will help secure future Norwegian gas exports to Europe. It also marked the commissioning of the 482 kilometres (km) Polarled pipeline, operated by Gassco AS (Kopervik, Norway), which will transport gas from Aasta Hansteen to the Nyhamna gas processing plant and which is the first offshore pipeline to cross the Arctic Circle. Aasta Hansteen is located 300km west of Sandnessjoen, far from other fields and in an area with harsh weather conditions. The recoverable resources at Aasta Hansteen, including Snefrid North, are estimated at 55.6 billion standard cubic-metres (Sm3) of gas and 0.6 million Sm3 of condensate (353 million barrels of oil equivalent). For additional information, see December 26, 2018, article - Norway's Aasta Hansteen Gas Field and Polarled Pipeline Starts Up.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
Asgard A will now continue to operate to 2027--a total of 12 years longer than the original plan--while the Norne FPSO has had its production lifespan extended by four years to 2026. Asgard is a field located in the central part of the Norwegian Sea and produces gas and considerable amounts of condensate from Jurassic sandstone at depths of as much as 4,850 metres. It includes the deposits Smorbukk, Smorbukk Sor and Midgard. Production started in 1999, and gas export started in 2000.
"Asgard A plays a particularly important role in recovering as much as possible of the remaining liquid reserves in Smorbukk and Smorbukk Sor, as most of the gas injection wells on these fields are tied in to Asgard A and will rely on the gas injection from Asgard A through the 2020s," stated the NPD. "The licenses are also considering new drilling targets and wells linked to Asgard A both in the shorter and longer term, and they will be important measures to promote improved recovery."
The extension for the Norne field FPSO in the Norwegian Sea and associated subsea facilities at the Urd and Skuld fields followed Equinor's submission of an improved drainage strategy for all three fields. The Norne, Urd, Skuld, Alve and Marulk fields are tied in to the Norne ship.
The NPD said: "Analyses from the operator (Equinor) show that the resource base in the Norne area may contain enough to produce until the end of 2035. The original recoverable Norne reserves were about 72 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil (approx. 453 million barrels). Optimisation and measures to improve recovery have increased the recoverable oil reserves to about 93 million Sm3 (about 585 million barrels). Around 96% of the proven oil reserves have been produced. There are also five un-clarified discoveries within the production licence, as well as six un-clarified discoveries in nearby production licences. The NPD expects that continued work on these will ensure satisfactory recovery of the remaining oil and gas resources."
Last month, Industrial Info reported that Equinor had started production at Aasta Hansteen, the deepest gas field in the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), which it claimed will help secure future Norwegian gas exports to Europe. It also marked the commissioning of the 482 kilometres (km) Polarled pipeline, operated by Gassco AS (Kopervik, Norway), which will transport gas from Aasta Hansteen to the Nyhamna gas processing plant and which is the first offshore pipeline to cross the Arctic Circle. Aasta Hansteen is located 300km west of Sandnessjoen, far from other fields and in an area with harsh weather conditions. The recoverable resources at Aasta Hansteen, including Snefrid North, are estimated at 55.6 billion standard cubic-metres (Sm3) of gas and 0.6 million Sm3 of condensate (353 million barrels of oil equivalent). For additional information, see December 26, 2018, article - Norway's Aasta Hansteen Gas Field and Polarled Pipeline Starts Up.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
