Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway – Equinor and partners Petoro, Vår Energi, and TotalEnergies have committed to Phase 1 of the Kristin South project in the Norwegian Sea.
This involves developing the Lavrans discovery and Kristin Q-discovery (part of the Kristin field) via tiebacks to the Kristin semisubmersible production platform.
Equinor estimates capex for Phase 1 at around NOK6.5 billion ($760 million).
A new subsea template will be installed at Lavrans, while Kristin Q will be tied into an existing template. Equinor plans four wells at Lavrans and one at Kristin Q.
The Kristin field started gas/condensate production in 2005. While the platform is technically designed to operate until 2034, its service could be extended through 2042.
Lavrans, discovered in 1995, contains large gas volumes, although the reservoir is complex reservoir and the production characteristics uncertain.
The wells will address the uncertainty by featuring long horizontal production zones in the reservoir.
Kristin Q is in the southern part of the Kristin field and is an HP/HT production from the two accumulations will head through a common pipeline to the platform.
Equinor expects Phase 1 to deliver a total of 58.2 MMboe. The company’s plan for development and operation includes an outline of future options, such as a possible next phase of Lavrans and development of the Erlend and Ragnfrid discoveries.
CO2 intensity associated with production from Phase 1 is estimated at less than 1 kg/boe, mostly generated from drilling.
The Kristin organization at Stjørdal in mid-Norway will operate the new wells, with the first two at Lavrans and one at Kristin Q is scheduled to start up in 2024, followed by the other two wells at Lavrans in 2025.
Aker Solutions has the NOK1-billion ($117-million) contract for the subsea production facilities. The company will fabricate the templates in Sandnessjøen, supported by deliveries from its plants in Tranby and Egersund in Norway and Brazil, the UK, and Malaysia.
TechnipFMC’s contract for fabrication of the pipeline, pipelay, and subsea installation services has a similar value. The company’s Oslo operations center will manage this work, while the pipelines will be fabricated at its spool base in Orkanger.
The company will manufacture the umbilical in the UK.
Aibel’s NOK190-million ($22-million) EPCI contract covers modifications to the platform, with work taking place in Haugesund.
In addition, the partners have signed an agreement to extend the area for the partnership Haltenbanken Vest Unit to encompass Lavrans, Erlend and Ragnfrid in addition to the Kristin field.
06/30/2021
