Offshore staff
LYSAKER, Norway — Aker BP has submitted a plan for development and operation (PDO) for the Trell and Trine fields in the North Sea to Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.
This is the company’s third PDO submission for a tie-in to the Alvheim area infrastructure in the past year, following Frosk and Kobra East & Gekko.
“From an operational perspective, the Alvheim area is one of the most cost-effective on the Norwegian shelf, and the resource base has expanded dramatically since the field came onstream," CEO Karl Johnny Hersvik said. “This is the result of targeted exploration and business development, technological innovation and, not least, the level of cooperation with the suppliers."
One of the motivating factors for the company and partners Petoro and LOTOS has been the temporary changes in the petroleum tax system that Norway introduced in June 2020 to help stimulate activity following the impact of COVID-19.
The Trell (PL 102 F/G) and Trine (PL 036E/F) discoveries are 24 km east of the Alvheim FPSO.
Plans call for three wells and two new subsea manifolds to be tied back to infrastructure serving the East Kameleon satellite and onto the FPSO.
Although one of the intended wells, Trell Nord, is not yet proven, Aker BP is confident of a discovery. It will target initially exploration drilling here, followed by the wells into Trell and Trine, and finally a production well in Trell Nord.
Collectively, the recoverable resources are thought to be about 25 MMboe, with low emissions expected from the development (0.3 kg CO2/bbl)
Total investments are estimated at about NOK 6 billion (US$700 million), with an anticipated startup in first-quarter 2025.
Aker BP will perform the development with its alliance partners.
When the Alvheim development was approved, original operator Marathon Oil expected to recover just under 200 MMbbl. However, as with numerous other Norwegian field developments, production has continued far longer than expected, with close to 550 MMbl now produced from the Alvheim area.
And once Trell and Trine have been approved, the Alvheim area will surpass 750 MMbbl either produced or sanctioned for development, according to Thomas Hoff-Hansen, the vice president of operations and asset development – Alvheim Asset.
The longer-term target is now to develop and produce 1 bbl by 2040.
“Along with our partners, we see good opportunities for both connecting more discoveries to the established infrastructure in the area as well as working to mature new exploration prospects," he said.
08.10.2022
