North west european continental shelf – oil & gas activity – oe digital
The result from the ongoing recession last summer time resulted in North Ocean field development activity was lower this past year, however the steadying from the cost this spring has brought to projects being dusted off both in the United kingdom and also the Norwegian sectors.
Future deepwater drilling plans, however, they are under review following a catastrophic Deepwater Horizon blowout within the Gulf in April, and also the ongoing leak, which operator BP continues to be battling to manage permanently. Governments and regulatory government bodies are reviewing safety precautions and oil spill safeguards.
There has been numerous acquisitions and mergers. Centrica acquired Venture Production in August this past year. Det norske oljeselskap has merged with Aker Exploration, creating the second biggest company operating around the Norwegian Shelf, both when it comes to operatorships and exploration activity. StatoilHydro altered its name to simply Statoil in November.
Lundin Oil and Petrofac created a brand new company, EnQuest, in March to buy and operate their UKCS gas and oil assets. Lundin will possess a 55% curiosity about EnQuest, Petrofac 45%. Bridge Energy and Silverstone merged in March to get Bridge Energy United kingdom. Dana Oil acquired holland assets of PetroCanada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Suncor Energy in June this season.
Around the contractor side, worldwide subsea contractors Acergy and Subsea 7 will be to merge. Bokn Invest, some pot possession company setup by Aker Capital Fund, HitecVision and Camar, has bought Norwegian contractor Bjørge. FMC has acquired Stavanger-based Multi Phase Meters. Fugro has bought Perth-based Submec, a independently owned business which supplies subsea engineering and remote intervention tooling services towards the offshore gas and oil industry throughout Australasia.
The United kingdom’s DECC has gotten applications for 356 blocks within the 26th licensing round, the greatest number because the first round in 1964. Norwegian launched the APA 2010 round in Feb, offering acreage within the Norwegian Ocean and also the Barents Ocean, plus its northern border Ocean. The deadline for applications is 15 September, with awards expected to make at finish 2010/early 2011.
In June, the Norwegian energy ministry offered 94 blocks and part-blocks within the Norwegian Ocean and Barents Ocean within the 21st licensing round, with a deadline of three November, with awards expected in spring 2011. The ministry has trimmed the amount from your initial listing of 100, but has retained 12 deepwater blocks. Two blocks removed have been in its northern border Ocean, within an area that could contain new shipping routes. Another four are close to the coast of northern Norwegian and were removed pending further studies on spill scenarios. All 43 deepwater blocks within the Norwegian Ocean stick to offer, however the ministry has stated it’ll keep an eye on information in the Gulf oil spill analysis when awarding licences.
Irish energy minister Conor Lenihan also announced details in June of eire’s 2011 Atlantic Margin licensing round. This round would be the largest licensing round up to now, covering a place of approximately a 250,000km2, comprising 996 full blocks and 58 part blocks. The region available extends from about 30-380km from shore with water depths typically varying from 200m, or fewer, to in excess of 3000m.
The United kingdom’s DECC only approved one offshore field in ’09, Talisman’s Burghley oil field like a tieback towards the Premier-operated Balmoral floater. Total received approval in March this season for that Laggan and Tormore deepwater gas fields in West of Shetland. Production in the fields is going to be transported through two 141km, 18in diameter pipelines to a different processing plant at Sullom Voe. From Sullom Voe the processed gas will be sent to the landmass using a new 222km, 20in pipeline linking into Total’s existing Frigg United kingdom trunkline in the MCP- 01 bypass.
March also saw approval for Apache’s Maule oil field, to become produced by extended achieve drilling from Forties, while approval for Apache’s Bacchus like a subsea tieback to Forties came in the finish of June. Total received approval mid-This summer to add mass to the Islay gas field via Alwyn.
The interest rate of field development has become growing, and numerous United kingdom operators have posted ecological statements for suggested developments. BP is mulling Devenick like a subsea tieback to East Brae along with a further growth and development of the Andrew area concentrating on Kinnoull. It’s also progressing Clair Ridge, West of Shetland. BG want to get the Norwegian sector Gaupe field like a tieback to Armada along with a 4th phase of Everest.
ConocoPhillips is planning three platforms to add mass to Jasmine. Ithaca Energy desires to develop Athena like a subsea tieback towards the FPSO BW Carmen. RWE Dea is planning for a new platform for Clipper South tied to LOGGS as well as for Breagh tied to Teesside. Total is searching in a new wellhead platform for West Franklin. Wintershall is thinking about developing Wingate using a new, not normally manned installation tied to its Nederlander sector D15-FA1 platform.
Serica has agreed an offer with BG, as operator from the Lomond field, and Dana Oil, as operator from the Arran field (formerly Barbara and Phyllis), to which BG will execute FEED work with a bridge-linked platform which will interact with the Lomond platform and supply gas and condensate reception facilities for Columbus and Arran production.
Fairfield Energy, following a purchase of blocks 211/27a & c from BP, Cieco, ExxonMobil and Covering, intends to redevelop the United kingdom Northern North Ocean NW Hutton field. Production from NW Hutton stopped in 2003. Decommissioning from the existing field facilities has began and will also be performed by the present partners.
The program for development and operation of Statoil’s North Ocean Gudrun field was authorized by the Norwegian Parliament in mid-June. Production is scheduled to begin in 1Q 2014. The woking platform have a processing facility for partial processing of gas and oil, prior to the hydrocarbons are piped towards the Sleipner field. Norwegian approved the PDO for that BG-operated Gaupe field (formerly Pi) in PL292, within the Norwegian North Ocean in the finish of June. First production from Gaupe is anticipated at the end of 2011. It’s planned like a two-well subsea tieback towards the United kingdom sector’s Armada.
Numerous major Norwegian offshore projects will also be progressing. BP now expects start-up in the Valhall redevelopment in mid-2011. ConocoPhillips is progressing Greater Ekofisk plans. Eni is eyeing first production in the Barents Ocean Goliat field in 4Q 2013 and it has posted a PDO to add mass to Marulk like a tieback to Norne. The Gjøa semisubmersible was towed towards the field in June. GDF Suez gets control as production operator once the field occurs stream within the fall. Statoil and partners will also be mulling a platform for Valemon.
Within the Danish sector, Maersk Oil needs approval in the Danish Energy Agency to build up further the Valdemar and Tyra fields, including the introduction of Adda field. It intends to drill three new wells this season from existing slots around the Valdemar platform. On Tyra, it’s intending to drill a brand new lengthy-achieve well from your existing slot around the Tyra East B platform.
Offshore Ireland, Providence Sources has contracted Aberdeen-based Unmanned Production Buoy to evaluate the practicality of the minimal facilities unmanned buoy to build up the Helvick oilfield, in licence 2/07, within the North Celtic Ocean Basin.
Around the production side within the United kingdom sector, Maersk finally achieved production in the Affleck oil field in August this past year via Janice, following delays due to shut-downs to Janice. Nexen’s Ettrick oil field also began in August through the Aoka Mizu FPSO. As did Premier’s Shelley oil field through the Sevan Voyageur round FPSO. Production from Shelley continues to be disappointing because the start and production is anticipated to cease in the finish of This summer.
RWE Dea’s Topaz gas field began in November 2009 like a subsea tieback to Schooner. Maersk’s Lochranza oil field began in The month of january this season like a subsea tieback to Dumbarton. Centrica’s Ceres (formerly Barbarossa) and Eris (formerly Channon) gas fields came onstream in March as tiebacks to Mercury. BP achieved first production in the Maule field in the finish of June. E.ON Ruhrgas’ Babbage gas field came onstream in August.
Marathon began up production in the Norwegian Volund field in September this past year, only for 3 days testing. It finally came onstream in May, when capacity grew to become on the Alvheim FPSO. Statoil’s Morvin field came onstream like a satellite to Asgard B at the outset of August.
Wonderful MORVIN: First oil from Statoil’s Morvin, a subsea development with two subsea templates and 4 production wells tied to the Åsgard B production platform for processing using a 20km lengthy pipeline, began flowing recently. Production will ultimately increase to 51,000boe/d. Morvin, which holds believed recoverable reserves of 70 million boe, is discovered in 2001. Operator Statoil holds a 64% curiosity about the area with partners Eni (30%) and Total (6%).
Within the Nederlander sector, Cirrus Energy achieved first production in the M7a gas field in September this past year. Wintershall started gas production from P9a&b in 2009, and GDF Suez ran first gas from E17a&b in November 2009.
Within the Danish sector, startup of DONG’s Nini East was delayed until Feb, since the host platform around the Siri field was shut-in from for six several weeks until The month of january following a routine inspection revealed cracks inside a subsea structure attached to the oil storage tank beneath the platform. A brief solution involving metallic frame that props up subsea structure has become in position to make sure its stability. Permanent repair from the damage is anticipated to become finished in the 2nd 1 / 2 of this season.
Around the decommissioning front, BP has posted a draft decommissioning programme for that Miller field, which came onstream in 1992 and that has created 345 million barrels of oil throughout a 15-year lifespan. BP states all of the field’s wells happen to be plugged and abandoned and also the proposal would be to dismantle the woking platform this year or 2013. The decommissioning plan proposes elimination of the topsides and jacket lower to the top footings. The Miller pipeline will stay in position for possible future use.
BP has additionally began consultation on proposals to decommission the Don field, in Northern North Ocean block 211/18. Susceptible to approval, the facilities to become decommissioned include five production wells, two water injection wells, a subsea manifold, a production pipeline along with a water injection pipeline.
Bridge Energy United kingdom and MCX Exploration have awarded CSL a turnkey contract to decommission the Tristan NW rise in block 49/29b. The job covers subsea intervention and abandonment of two wells, one live and something suspended, and also the decommissioning of connected subsea infrastructure.
The United kingdom’s DECC has issued the very first licence for that Gateway gas storage project, within the East Irish Ocean. Meanwhile, Eni Hewett needs approval to build up the depleted Deborah reservoir within the Southern North Ocean for gas storage. OE
