Gudrun partners plan water injection plant

Gudrun partners will invest 2.4 billion kroner in a water injection plant to improve reservoir recovery. Gudrun Phase 2 measures are expected to extend the life of the North Sea field by 3 years to 2032.

The water injection project will produce water from the Utsira formation and reinject it into the reservoir for pressure support and increased production. A new production well will be drilled.

A 500 million-kroner contract for detail engineering, fabrication, installation, and startup of the water injection plant has been awarded to Aibel. In addition, Aibel has been awarded work with other oil wells on Gudrun field during the same period. In total the contract value is about 600 million kroner.

To carry out offshore modifications and complete the work by the water injection plant’s planned startup of 2021, “we must use the Rowan Stavanger rig while it is carrying out scheduled production drilling on the field,” said Tom Elseth, Equinor’s project director for Gudrun. “The rig will have catering capacity for personnel involved in both drilling and installation activities,” he said.

The Gudrun PDO was approved by Norwegian authorities in 2010 and the field came on stream in 2014. Seven wells are currently in production on the field, which holds about 184 million boe. It is a high-pressure, high-temperature reservoir. Equinor is utilizing experience and technology gained from the Kvitebjorn and Kristin developments.

First proven in 1975, oil and gas are transported from Gudrun field to the Sleipner A platform. Gudrun lies about 55 km north of the Sleipner installations in PL025. Gas is transported to the gas markets from Sleipner A. Oil is routed together with the Sleipner condensate to Karsto for shipping (OGJ Online, Apr. 7, 2014).

Equinor serves as operator with 36%. Partners are Neptune 25%, OMV 24%, and Repsol 15%.