Statoil is splashing out USD 1.45B on new installations to boost recovery at its Gullfaks South field in the Norwegian North Sea as part of its fast-track programme.
The operator plans to install two new subsea templates as well as drill six additional wells – four oil producers and two gas injectors – at the field with the aim of extracting another 65 million boe out of the mature reservoir.
The new wells will be drilled by semi-submersible rigs Deepsea Atlantic and Songa Dee that are already deployed on the main Gullfaks field in Statoil-operated Production Licence 050.
Production in parts of Gullfaks South, which is being produced as a satellite tie-back to the Gullfaks A platform, was shut down in 2008 to maintain reservoir pressure at an acceptable level for drilling work.
Existing wells are now being reopened while the additional holes will be drilled from already installed subsea templates. The new templates will also be tied back to the A platform via existing underwater facilities.
The project, targeted for start-up in 2014, will utilise spare processing capacity on Gullfaks A to extend the platform’s producing life beyond 2030, according to the operator.
Earlier this year, Schlumberger unit Framo Engineering won a Nkr900 million contract with Statoil for a subsea gas compression facility to be installed at Gullfaks South as part of the drive for increased recovery.