Rowan Viking to drill and P&A wells for two Lundin North Sea projects

Offshore staff

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Lundin Norway plans a three-well infill drilling program next year at the Edvard Grieg field in the Norwegian North Sea, targeting 16 MMboe of contingent resources.

The jackup Rowan Viking, which has drilled all the Grieg development wells, will handle the campaign.

Earlier this year Lundin submitted its plan for development and operation (PDO) for the Solveig Phase 1 project. This is the first subsea tieback to Grieg and should extend the platform’s plateau operating period.

Phase 1 calls for three oil production and two water injection wells, delivering up to 30 MMboe/d, with first oil anticipated early in 2021.

Lundin estimates the Phase 1 gross proved plus probable reserves at 57 MMboe, with capex of $810 million and a breakeven oil price less than $30/bbl. Further potential phases exploiting upside potential in the discovered resources should be de-risked by production performance from Phase 1.

Modifications to the Grieg platform will begin soon.

In March, drilling started on a dual-branch well targeting the Jorvik and Tellus East prospects on the eastern side of the Grieg field in license PL338. The well is targeting extensions of the same reservoirs found at Grieg; conglomerates/pebbly sandstones in Jorvik and weathered and fractured basement potentially draped by sandstones in Tellus East.

Combined prospective resources are thought to be 23 MMboe – if drilling proves successful, the structures could be developed with wells drilled from the Grieg platform.

Elsewhere in the Norwegian North Sea, drilling started last month of two infill production wells at the Ivar Aasen field: both should come onstream this summer.

A side track infill production well recently completed at the Volund field in the Alvheim area should be online by mid-year. The Frosk test production well is currently drilling and is due onstream during 3Q.

The Frosk well, which will produce through the Bøyla facilities, is planned as a two-branch producer also including two pilot holes, one of which is targeting the Froskelår North East prospect.

Lundin expects the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy to approve the Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 PDO during the current quarter. The scheme involves a second processing platform bridge linked to the Phase 1 field center; subsea facilities for tie-in of additional wells to access the Avaldsnes, Kvitsøy, and Geitungen satellite areas of the field; and full-field water alternating gas injection for enhanced recovery.

Operator Equinor plans to drill 28 wells for Phase 2, with first oil scheduled for 4Q 2022.

The major topsides contracts and the jacket contract have been awarded, along with the order for the subsea production system. Detailed engineering is on schedule and first steel has been cut for the second processing platform at Aibel’s yard in Thailand.

As for exploration, drilling is under way on the dual-target Vinstra/Otta prospect in PL539 in the Mandal High area of the North Sea. Vinstra is a Permian Rotliegendes sandstone target and Otta a Jurassic sandstone target, with combined prospective resources of 555 MMboe.

Drilling has also started on the JK prospect in PL916 in the northern Utsira High area of the North Sea, mainly targeting Jurassic Statfjord sandstones with prospective resources of 243 MMboe.

Lundin has decided to defer an appraisal well planned this year on its Alta/Gohta discovery in the Barents Sea to 2020 to in order to complete technical work needed to assess the forward appraisal strategy.

The company has a flexible arrangement for the semisub Leiv Eiriksson with sufficient optional slots to meet its operated 2019 drilling program. ConocoPhillips will now use the rig to drill two exploration wells this year on PL917, where Lundin is also a partner.

Finally, the company expects decommissioning of the Brynhild field on the Norwegian/UK North Sea median line to take place during 2020/2021. The Rowan Viking will P&A the field’s four development wells.

Preparations continue for decommissioning the Gaupe field which ceased production late last year.

05/02/2019