Lundin gets mixed performance from North Sea fields

Aug. 1, 2012
Lundin Petroleum says reservoir performance at the BG-operated Gaupe field, which came onstream earlier this year in the North Sea, is below expectations.

Offshore staff

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Lundin Petroleum says reservoir performance at the BG-operated Gaupe field, which came onstream earlier this year in the North Sea, is below expectations.

Initial analysis suggests that the two production wells are connected to lower hydrocarbon volumes than predicted. Monitoring continues, as do technical studies to determine potential remedial action.

Lundin is also a partner in the Marathon-operated Volund field, where production is above expectations due to strong reservoir performance and improved uptime at theAlvheim FPSO. However, there has been higher than expected water cut development in the Volund production wells. A further development well will be drilled on the field this year and should come online during 1Q 2013.

At theEdvard Grieg field in North Sea license PL338, Lundin expects to drill a further appraisal well early next year targeting upside in the southeastern part of the structure.

As for the nearbyJohan Sverdrup project, Lundin, as operator of PL501, is presently drilling its third appraisal well this year with two more due to be completed by year-end.

Statoil, as operator of PL265, will drill three further wells on the structure in 2012, one being an exploration well on the southern part of Aldous Major North. More appraisal drilling is likely in 2013 in order to fully delineate the field, which extends more than 150 sq km (58 sq mi).

Elsewhere in the Norwegian sector, Lundin will participate in five exploration wells in 2012, comprising two in the Barents Sea on the Eni-operated Pulk prospect and the Lundin-operated Juksa; two in the Greater Luno Area, Luno II, and Aldous Major North; and completion of the suspended Albert well in the Møre basin.

The well on Albert in PL519 was spudded in May to test Cretaceous and Triassic sandstones of a multiple target-structure, with potential resources of 177 MMboe. However, operations were halted in June to allow the semisubmersibleBredford Dolphin to undergo a scheduled survey in a yard in Norway. The rig should resume drilling this month.

Lundin has signed a two-year contract for the newbuild semisubmersibleIsland Innovator, which is due for delivery in 2013. It also has capacity on the Transocean Winner, Transocean Arctic, Bredford Dolphin, and Maersk Guardian rigs.

8/01/2012