Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway -- Tordis and Vigdis, two of Statoil’s longer-established subsea fields in the North Sea, have achieved combined production of 100 MMcm of oil, or 629 MMbbl. To date Statoil has produced 48% of Tordis’ oil and 38% of the oil on Vigdis, collectively around 300 MMbbl more than was foreseen when the two developments were planned.
Both are linked to giant production platforms. Tordis, which came onstream in 1994, is connected to the Gullfaks C installation, while Vigdis, in production since 1997, is linked to Snorre A.
”Our ambition is to extract a total of 1 Bbbl, which amounts to 159 MMcm of oil. We are now looking producing from these fields right up to 2030,” says Bente Aleksandersen, Statoil’s head of operations for the Snorre, Tordis, and Vigdis fields.
Statoil is pinning its expectations partly on making small new discoveries close to these fields, drilling of new wells, maintenance of current wells, and other measures designed to increase recovery.
“Vessels for light well intervention have made it easier and cheaper to maintain wells,” says Aleksandersen. Statoil points out that the day rate for a well intervention vessel is less than half the cost of a drilling rig.
Also, new 4D seismic data has provided a basis for improved location of new wells. In this regard, the Tordis and Vigdis licensees have secured the drilling semiBideford Dolphin through 2014. The rig will drill new wells on the fields, in addition to its program on the forthcoming Vigdis North-East development.
02/15/2011
