Partners on the shut-in Norwegian Njord field are considering options for the area’s future, including a potential new floating production vessel or platform.
The floating steel Njord A platform, operated by Statoil, was shut-in during July, for structural integrity analysis and inspection work. During the inspection, the need for reinforcements to a number of beams in the platform structure was discovered, work which Statoil said could take until summer 2014.
Image: Njord A, courtesy Øyvind Nesvåg, Statoil.
Njord field partner Faroe Petroleum today said work is ongoing, and is expected to complete in Q2 2014. Faroe also said the partners were now also assessing options for the future of the area.
Significant oil and gas resources remain in the Njord field, as well as in the surrounding catchment area, with potential for more than 20 years of remaining production, according to Faroe.
These resources include the developed volumes, which can be produced from the existing wells on Njord and Hyme, further infill drilling in the Njord field, development of the North West Flank gas and condensate accumulations, and development of the newly announced Snilehorn oil discovery.
Faroe adds that there is also significant additional prospectivity, that may be matured towards exploration drilling in coming years, and also undeveloped third party discoveries in the catchment area.
Faroe said options being assessed include:
Njord is in blocks 6407/7 and 6407/10, about 130km northwest of Kristiansund, and 30km west of the Draugen field. First production from Njord A, which has an integrated deck with drilling and processing facilities, as well as living quarters, was in 1997.
Last week, the platform was de-manned as a precaution, due expected bad weather.
A total 97 staff were airlifted from the Njord-A platform as a precautionary measure because the platform is currently subject to weather restrictions, in connection with the ongoing reinforcement work taking place on board.
Oil from Njord is usually transported by pipeline from the platform to the storage vessel Njord Bravo, anchored next to the platform. The vessel has an oil storage capacity of 110,000cu m, and is anchored to a tower buoy, which in turn is fastened to the sea floor by an eight-point anchoring system. The oil is then transferred from Njord Bravo to an oil tanker, for transportation to the market.
Gas from the Njord field is exported through a 40km pipeline tied back to the Åsgard transport pipeline. Åsgard transport links the field with the Kårstø gas processing plant and then onward to the European gas market.
Njord partners are GDF SUEZ E&P Norge, with 40%, E.ON E&P, 30%, Statoil, 20%, Faroe Petroleum, 7.5%, and VNG Norge, 2.5%.
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