Oil production starts from Edvard Grieg offshore Norway

Lundin Petroleum AB started oil production on Nov. 28 from Edvard Grieg field in PL338 on the Utsira High of the North Sea, about 180 km west of Stavanger.

The field, discovered in 2007 with Lundin’s first operated exploration well in Norway, is estimated to contain gross 2P reserves of 187 million boe.

Lundin says a successful appraisal well in the southeast of Edvard Grieg—drilled earlier this year (OGJ Online, Aug. 5, 2015)—is anticipated to boost reserves once the yearend 2015 reserves certification process has been completed.

Edvard Grieg has been developed with a steel jacket platform resting on the seabed. The topsides weigh about 22,500 tonnes and include a processing facility, utility module, and living quarters (OGJ Online, Apr. 14, 2015).

Development drilling by the Rowan Viking jack up rig will resume shortly, says Lundin, which plans 10 production wells and four water injection wells. Plateau production is expected during the second half of 2016.

Drilling of the development wells is expected to continue into 2018. Edvard Grieg has been designed as a field center, and will receive oil and gas from neighboring Ivar Aasen field for further processing.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate at the beginning of this month greenlighted the Edvard Grieg crude pipeline and Utsira High gas pipeline that will respectively serve Edvard Grieg and Ivar Aasen fields on the Utsira High (OGJ Online, Nov. 6, 2015). About 10 days later it gave consent for production startup (OGJ Online, Nov. 16, 2015).

Lundin Norway AS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lundin Petroleum, is the operator of PL338 with 50% working interest. Partners are OMV Norge AS 20%, Statoil ASA 15%, and Wintershall Norge AS 15%.