One of the North Sea’s oldest platforms is to receive a new lease of life after plans were announced to extend production for another seven years.
The Statfjord A platform, on the boundary between the UK and Norwegian continental shelves, will now continue producing until 2020 after a decision by its operators to continue.
Another 10 wells will be drilled on the field next year, following 11 drilled in 2013, to keep the output flowing.
“Statfjord A is our oldest platform and represents the history of the company’s inception,” sad Statoil director of production Atle Rettedal.
“The extension means that Statfjord A will still be in operation when the new giant Johan Sverdrup comes on stream. The size of the Statfjord field is unique, making it a significant part of the history of the Norwegian shelf for 40 years.”
The development of Statfjord, operated by Statoil with Centrica and ExxonMobil, had originally been earmarked to recover 40% of the oil in the field but has so far achieved 66%.
The platform, which celebrates 34 years of production next week, still turns over 80,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, but a change in the way it operates will allow the facility to continue.
The new approach, which will see drainage being changed from water injection to depressurisation, will up gas production from the field as the operators target 74% of the gas remaining.
So far the project partners have invested more than £2billion in the field, which produces gas for the UK along with Norway.
“We are reaping the benefits of the efforts we have invested over many years in that we will now manage to recover even more of the resources in a manner that creates value for the owners and for society,” said Rettedal.
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