Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway – Equinor and its partners have decided to invest NOK2.4 billion ($280 million) in a water injection plant on the Gudrun field in the Norwegian North Sea to improve reservoir recovery. This will extend the field life by three years to 2032.
According to Equinor, the water injection project will produce water from the Utsira formation and reinject it into the reservoir for pressure support and increased production. In addition, a new production well will be drilled.
The partners have awarded Aibel a NOK500-million ($58-million) contract for detail engineering, fabrication, installation, and start-up of the water injection plant. Start up is expected in 2021.
In addition, Aibel has been awarded work with other oil wells on the Gudrun field during the same period. In total the contract value is around NOK600 million ($70 million). At peak, about 160 people from Aibel will be involved in the project both onshore and on the offshore installation.
The Gudrun partners are Equinor (operator, 36%), Neptune (25%), OMV (24%), and Repsol (15%).
The Gudrun plan for development and operation was approved by Norwegian authorities in 2010, and the field came onstream on April 7, 2014. Seven wells are currently in production on the high-pressure/high-temperature field in license area PL025.
Discovered in 1975, Gudrun holds about 184 MMboe.
The field is developed with a traditional steel platform resting on the seabed. The platform has capacity for partial treatment of oil and gas, before the hydrocarbons are sent via pipeline 55 km (34 mi) south to the Sleipner A platform. The gas is transported onward to the markets, while the oil is routed together with the Sleipner condensate to Kårstø for shipping.
Tom Elseth, Equinor’s project director for Gudrun, said: “The accommodation on the Gudrun platform is small. To be able to carry out offshore modifications and complete the work by 2021, we must use the Rowan Stavanger rig while it is carrying out scheduled production drilling on the field.”
The jackup will have catering capacity for personnel involved in both drilling and installation activities.
07/16/2019
