Page 12 - Euroil Week 33 2019

EurOil PROJECTS & COMPANIES EurOil
Equinor starts up $7.7bn North Sea project
NORWAY
Mariner was discovered in 1981 but was initially considered too geologically complex to develop.
NORWAY’S Equinor has kicked o production at the $7.7bn Mariner oil eld in the UK North Sea – a project projected to yield more than 300mn barrels of oil equivalent (boe) over the next three decades.
Mariner lies in the northern North Sea 150km east of the Shetland Islands. It was rst discov- ered in 1981, but was le untouched because of its geological complexity. Equinor acquired the eld from US major Chevron in 2007, taking a nal investment decision (FID) ve years later.
“The start-up of Mariner, the first Equinor-operated oil eld on the UKCS, estab- lishes our foothold in the UK and reinforces our commitment to be a long-term energy part- ner,” Equinor’s senior vice-president for the UK and Ireland, Hedda Felin, said in an August 15 statement.
Mariner is now understood to hold up to 3bn barrels of oil in place (OIP), representing a 50% mark-up on its original reserve estimate. Equinor is targeting a plateau production rate of 55,000-70,000 barrels per year, using a single
steel-jacket production, drilling and living quar- ters platform equipped with a oating storage unit. A jack-up rig has also been deployed for the project’s initial phase.
“By gathering and interpreting new seismic data we have improved our understanding of the reservoirs,” Equinor’s executive vice-president for technology, projects and drilling, Anders Opedal, commented. “ is has resulted in fewer and better placed wells and increased resources since the project was sanctioned in 2012.”
ere is scope to boost the eld’s recovery even further, he said.
Mariner consists of the shallower Heimdal reservoir, found at a 1,227-metre depth, and the deeper Maureen formation, at 1,492 metres. Its oil is heavy, with an API gravity of 12.1-14.2 decrees, with a viscosity of 67 centipoise (cP) at Maureen and 508 cP at Heimdal. Equinor oper- ates the project with a 65% stake. Its partners are Japan’s JX Nippon with 20%, the UK’s Siccar Point Energy with 8.9% and the Netherlands’ ONE-Dyas with 6%.™
UK, Norway prepare to launch joint field
UK
The project requires $340mn in investment.
THE Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has given state oil company Equinor the go-ahead to launch production at the Utgard gas and condensate eld.
The field, which straddles the boundary between the UK and Norwegian continental shelves, holds 56.4mn barrels of oil equivalent (boe) in recoverable reserves. Equinor aims to bring production onstream this September, using two wells connected via pipeline to the Sleipner T processing platform, stationed in Norwegian waters.
“ e project ensures good and cost-e ective utilisation of the facilities and the process capac- ity on Sleipner,” Tove Francke, the NPD’s assis- tant director of development and operations, North Sea south, said in a statement on August 14. “We expect Utgard will create value both for Norwegian society and for the Utgard and Sleipner licensees.”
Norway has a 62% interest in Utgard, with the UK controlling the remaining share. e for- mer’s holding is divided between Equinor with 38.4%, Poland’s Lotos with 17.4% and Kuwait Petroleum with 6.2%. e UK’s share is also held by Equinor.
Utgard lies in waters 115 metres deep and was rst discovered in 1982. Development plans were not approved until 2017, and call for NOK3bn ($340mn) in overall investment. Liquids from the eld will be transported to Norway’s Karsto
hub and gas will be pumped into the country’s o shore pipeline system.
Schlumberger unit Subsea was selected by Equinor as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for Utgard’s sub- sea production system, while Norway’s Akers Solutions was hired to install subsea tiebacks.
Utgard’s reservoirs are of good quality, according to the NPD, located at a depth of 3,700 metres in Middle Jurassic sandstone. ey contain gas and condensate, covered by a thin oil rim. e gas has a high CO2 content, which can be stored and cleaned at the Sleipner platform.™
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Week 33 22•August•2019