Offshore staff
LYSAKER, Norway — Aker BP is working on a project to extend the lifespan of the Alvheim FPSO in the Norwegian North Sea, which was commissioned by previous operator Marathon Oil in the 2000s.
Upgrade works recently finished on the vessel’s living quarters and ballast control system. Among current satellite developments in the area, the two Frosk wells have been completed and mobilization is underway for the subsea tieback campaign, with first production expected late in March.
As for the Kobra East & Gekko (KEG) project, installation has finished of the pipelines and static umbilical, with drilling to follow shortly. KEG is due to come onstream next year.
Pipelay should take place this year for the Tyrving (ex-Trell and Trine) project, with drilling expected to begin during the first half of 2024. First oil is scheduled for 2025.
In the Utsira High area of the North Sea, drilling will get underway this spring for Aker BP’s three-well Edvard Grieg IOR campaign for 2023, while the tieback of Hanz to the nearby Ivar Aasen platform is on track to deliver first oil early in 2024.
At the Equinor-operated Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 development in the same area, ramp-up continues to the full-field facilities’ design capacity of 720,000 bbl/d, with plans to test a further increase to 755,000 bbl/d.
All the initially processed oil for Phase 2 comes from wells already drilled from the field center’s drilling platform. Early last month, the first Phase 2 producer from a subsea template was brought onstream.
In the Norwegian Sea to the North, Aker BP and its partners in Skarv have approved further infill wells in the area. An investment decision should follow in May for one planned well on the satellite Ærfugl Field.
At Tambar in the Ula area (southern Norwegian North Sea), production was impacted by equipment failure, although this has been offset by three producers coming back onstream on Ula.
The company expects to shut down the Tambar Field for good in 2018 and has started a decommissioning study to prepare for a program of plugging and abandonment (P&A) and platform removal.
The Noble Integrator jackup rig, currently supporting stimulation and intervention activities at Valhall, will relocate south next month to the satellite Hod Field to permanently P&A eight wells at the old Hod A platform.
Noble Invincible will start Phase 2 of this campaign during the second half of 2023.
Finally, the partners in the Wisting oil field in the Barents Sea plan further exploration in the area to strengthen the resource base, after postponing the final investment decision on the development late last year, due partly to cost pressures and potential supply sector capacity constraints.
In parallel, Aker BP said the partners will further mature the development concept.
This year the company is budgeting for production of 430,000 boe/d to 460,000 boe/d from its Norwegian operations; capex of $3 billion to 3.5 billion; exploration spending of $400 million to $500 million; $100 million to $200 million for abandonment; and production costs of $7-8/boe.
02.10.2023
