By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, May 3--Marathon Oil Corp. has started oil production from Volund field in the North Sea off Norway.
Volund, in Block 24/9, is a subsea tieback to the floating production, storage, and offloading vessel at Alveheim field 8 km north. Volund will ramp up to 10,000 b/d until mid-2010, after which it is guaranteed 25,000 b/d of production capacity on the Alvheim FPSO in PL150.
Volund is expected to reach 25,000 b/d with completion in the third quarter of 2010 of two more producing wells now being drilled.
Marathon is Volund operator with 65% working interest, and Lundin Petroleum AB, Stockholm, has 35%. Marathon also operates Alvheim, in which Lundin’s interest is 15%.
Development of the Greater Alvheim area continues with Phase 2 drilling at Alvheim commencing later this year and the likely development of the Marihone and Viper discoveries made in 2009, Lundin said. Objective is to keep the Alvheim FPSO at capacity for the foreseeable future.
