Offshore staff
OSLO, Norway -- Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has authorized extended use of the Hod 4-in. (10 cm) gas lift pipeline in the North Sea through end-2014.
Hod, in block 2/11, 13 km (8.1 mi) south of the Valhall complex, is operated by BP Norge, in partnership with Amerada Hess Norway.
The field was discovered in 1974, with reserves originally estimated at 25 MMbbl. The Hod wellhead platform was installed in 1990 and production started later that year. It was the first unmanned facility on the Norwegian shelf, and is remotely controlled from Valhall.
Hod exports production via a 12-in. (30.5-cm) pipeline to the Valhall field center. Lift gas for the Hod wells is sent from Valhall through a 4-in. (10.2-cm) gas lift pipeline. The line’s originally predicted lifespan, following installation in summer 2000, was 10 years.
December 2014 is the final planned date for completion of the new 6-in. (15.2-cm) gas lift pipeline from Valhall Flank South.
Studies for the Valhall Re-Development Project (VRD) started in 2005, and the project was approved two years later by Norway’s parliament. It involved replacing two existing platforms with an integrated production and living quarters facility.
This has been designed for a lifetime of 40 years, allowing Valhall to produce at least until 2049.
Production from Hod will be re-routed to the new facility later this year. Existing gas lift arrangements will continue for the time being.
07/18/2011
