Norwegian giant Statoil has submitted its plans for the US$122 million (NOK 1 billion) Byrding discovery in the North Sea to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), which is expected to start production in Q2 2017.
 |
|
Image of a subsea template at Fram, from Statoil. |
The discovery, previously known as Astero, is in Block 35/11 in production license 090B, about 3.8km north of Fram and 27km southwest of Gjøa. Water depth in the area is 360m, and the reservoir is situated about 3100m below the sea surface.
Statoil is estimating its volume of recoverable resources to be about 11 MMboe, and at its peak period in 2017/2018, Byrding is estimated to produce nearly 8000 boe/d.
"This is another example of a new discovery being realized through existing infrastructure,” Torger Rød, Statoil senior vice president for project development said.
The Byrding development includes a duo-lateral well drilled from the existing Fram H-Nord subsea template through which oil and gas from Byrding will flow to Troll C. Oil and gas will be piped from there through existing pipelines to Mongstad and Kollsnes respectively. The duo-lateral well to be drilled is some 7km long, the first kilometers being shared by the two laterals. According to plans Byrding will remain on stream for 8-10 years.
 |
|
Byrding field illustration, from Statoil. |
“Combined with the use of an available well slot in an existing subsea template this reduces the costs of the project substantially. The project is profitable also in the current oil price environment,” Rød said.
Statoil was able to reduce the capital expenditures from the initial cost of approximately $426 million (NOK 3.5 billion) to the current estimate of about $122 million (NOK 1 billion).
Byrding will add new profitable volumes from the Troll / Fram area, boosting the activity and production on the Troll C platform,” Gunnar Nakken, Statoil senior vice president for operations West said.
While the development of Bryding has been considered multiple times over the past 10 years, the concept choice was just made in Q1 2015, with the joint venture partners planning to start production in Q2 2017. The discovery was first made in 2005 with the drilling of well 35/11-13, and was subsequently appraised by well 35/11-14 in 2006.
“It is very positive that Byrding is now being developed and is contributing to value creation both for society at large and for the licensees,” Tomas Mørch, the NPD’s assistant director for the Northern North Sea said.
He emphasizes the importance of efficient utilization of existing infrastructure and that the companies cooperate to develop good area solutions. The development of minor discoveries using existing infrastructure, where the ownership structure and strategies differ in the various production licenses, may pose commercial challenges.
“Good dialogue between the different players is the key to finding good area solutions,” Mørch said.
A byrding was a Viking ship with high sides (as opposed to a longship) intended for use along the coast. It looks much like a knarr (a merchant ship), but is more rounded. Both types could be rowed as well as sailed.
Statoil is the operator with 45% stake. The other licensees are Wintershall (25%), Idemitsu (15%) and Engie (15%).
Subscribe
