Premier Oil is planning to make sanction decisions on its Falkands Sea Lion and Norwegian Vette developments in 2016, the operator said this morning.
The plans come as the firm says it is making “improved progress” on the completion and commissioning of its west of Shetland Solan development, with first oil targeted for later this year. Solan will be a four-legged steel structure supported normally unmanned facility with subsea oil storage.
Image: The Solan topsides being installed last year.
Premier Oil is also working on the North Sea Catcher development, which it says remains on schedule for first oil in 2017. Catcher will see 22 subsea wells developed via a leased floating production, storage and offloading vessel. Development well drilling is expected to start in July.
Premier Oil had been cautious about a date for first oil on Solan, as progress had been slower than anticipated and impacted by weather. However, now, the firm says first oil is on schedule for later this year, with drilling due to start mid-May on a second pair of wells on the project.
The subsea tank, jacket and topside were installed in August/September last year, in Block 205/26a, in 135m water depth. Hook up on the first pair of wells completed in March, with the Victory flotel being used in the commissioning and hook up phase. Expected plateau production of 20-25,000 b/d.
The Solan field is in license P164, which Premier operates with partner Chrysaor. Solan is a Jurassic field and is expected to produce about 40MMbbl over its lifetime.
Solan was discovered in the 1990s, but remained inactive until Chrysaor took it over as part of the UK Government’s Fallow Field initiative and drilled appraisal wells in 2008 and 2009. Premier farmed-in in 2011.
Premier is also working on the Vette and Sea Lion projects, it says with a view to capturing lower cost solutions for project development. Premier Oil had originally targeted a floating production solution for Sea Lion, but then opted for a tension leg platform. It has since opted for an initial sub-US$1 billion phased floating production solution. Premier said today: “We continue to plan 2016 sanction decisions on each project.”
Read more:
Initial phase FPSO plan for Sea Lion
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