An ageing North Sea field has been given an extended lifespan, securing some 200 jobs.
Veslefrikk lies in Norwegian North Sea. Statoil is the operator with several other licencees involved holding varying interests.
The field came on stream in 1989 and was the first development off Norway to use a floating production unit.
Designated Veslefrikk B, this semi-submersible structure is tied to a fixed steel wellhead platform – Veslefrikk A.
Oil from the field is landed via the pipeline from the Oseberg development to the Sture terminal outside Bergen. Gas travels through the Statpipe system via Kårstø north of Stavanger to Emden in Germany.
According to the Industry Energy union, the Veslefrikk license has now been given a lifetime extension until 2025.
It is the result of “years” of work, according to union officials.
A union spokesman added: “This will mean a lot to those who are at Veslefrikk, but also those who indirectly work against Veslefrikk.
“We are talking about approx. 200 jobs, that means a lot of these days.
“The installation must do some upgrades for around one billion dollars, such as Integrity, Production Equipment, Upgrade Power Management, and so on.
“It is a particularly positive case for safe and safe workplaces in a longer perspective, for both our members at Veslefrikk, but also in Statoil.”