New subsea tieback to expand Gina Krog gas production

Offshore staff

STAVANGER – Equinor says that it has submitted a plan for development and operation (PDO) of the Eirin gas field to Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.

The Eirin field, first discovered in 1978, will be developed as a subsea facility tied back to the Gina Krog platform in the North Sea. Recoverable reserves in the field are estimated at 27.6 million barrels of oil equivalent, most of which is gas. Total investments are estimated at just over NOK 4 billion (2023 NOK).

Camilla Salthe, Equinor’s senior vice president for field life extension (FLX), said: “Utilizing Gina Krog’s infrastructure will enable Eirin to bring new gas to Europe fast, with good profitability and low CO₂ emissions from production. The development will extend Gina Krog’s productive life from 2029 to 2036, and will be vital for the Sleipner area.”

When the energy crisis struck in 2021, there was close cooperation with Norwegian authorities to deliver as much gas as possible to Europe, Equinor says.

Increased gas export from Gina Krog, by exporting gas that was previously injected to improve oil recovery, was an important contribution. At the same time, this brought forth the need to accelerate projects to extend the field life.

Eirin is a central part of this work, Equinor officials say. Production start-up is expected as early as 2025.

Ketil Rongved, Equinor’s vice president for FLX Projects, said: “Extending Gina Krog’s productive life also gives us the opportunity to mature additional new reserves in the area. We’re still seeing possibilities for new discoveries, which is why Eirin’s new subsea facility will enable tie-in of new fields.”

With electrification of Gina Krog and partial electrification of Sleipner, Equinor says that production from Eirin will have low emissions, just three kilo of CO₂ per barrel of oil equivalents.

The license partners are Equinor (78.2%) and KUFPEC Norway (21.8%).

09.18.2023