The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) received a plan for development and operation (PDO) for the Maria oil discovery in the Norwegian Sea.
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Maria. Image from Wintershall. |
The Maria discovery, located in blocks 6407/1 and 6406/3 on the Halten Bank, is Wintershall’s first operated development project. Maria is located 230km from shore in 300m water depth. The reservoir is located about 3800m below the sea surface.
The discovery is estimated to contain approximately 28.1 MMcum of oil equivalent, mostly oil, but also some associated gas and natural gas liquid (NGL).
According to the plan, Maria will be developed with a subsea production facility consisting of two subsea templates, both with room for drilling and completion of up to four wells. Two production wells and two water injection wells will be drilled from each template using a semisubmersible drilling facility. The production facility will be tied back to the existing infrastructure in the area.
Production license 475BS was awarded in APA 2008. The discovery was made during drilling of well 6406/3-8 T2 in 2010. The licensees are expecting production to start in 4Q 2018.
“The development solution is special, because as many as four hosts, or other facilities, are involved. Statoil, who is the operator of these facilities, has cooperated closely with Wintershall concerning the development. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate expects that realization of the resources in Maria will generate added value for all players involved, and not least for Norwegian society,” Kalmar Ildstad, Assistant director of development and operation – Norwegian Sea said.
The well stream from Maria will be sent to the Kristin platform for processing and metering. The stabilized oil will then be sent to the Åsgard A production and storage ship for storage and offloading to shuttle tankers. According to the plan, the rich gas will be exported via the Åsgard Transport pipeline system to Kårstø in Rogaland County.
Gas for well gas lift will be supplied from the Åsgard B platform via existing gas pipes to the Tyrihans subsea template on the Tyrihans field. Here, the lift gas pipeline for Maria will be connected. Water for pressure support will be supplied from the Heidrun platform.
The NPD encourages shelf companies to focus on sound area solutions and efficient use of the existing infrastructure.
“This development requires extensive collaboration across the exploration license. If we are to ensure maximum benefit for society from oil and gas production on the Norwegian shelf in the time ahead, both the developer and the host need to show willingness to be able to succeed with this type of solution,” Ildstad said.
Wintershall Norge AS is the operator with 50% interest. Partners include Petoro AS (30%) and Centrica Resources (Norge) AS (20%).
Read more:
DeepOcean nets Maria prep work
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