Statoil begins production from its Gullfaks fast-track project

Statoil has recently announced that after three years since the project was approved and with NOK9 billion invested in the project, production commenced from the Gullfaks South (GSO) fast-track project on 27 July 2015. The project has been created for improved oil recovery in the North Sea and will increase the output from the Gullfaks area by around 65 million boe.

Prior to production, the project involved 370 drilling rig days and the drilling programme will continue through the 1Q16.

GSO covers two subsea templates, four production wells, two gas injectors, a gas injection pipeline and a total of three production tubings, in addition to umbilicals and power cables for pipeline heating. There are a total of 22 subsea tie-ins.

A standardised and simplified development solution

“GSO demonstrates how we can increase recovery and profitability by use of standardised, simplified development solutions tied to existing infrastructure,” says Arild Dybvig, Vice President for Fast-track Projects in Development and Production in Norway for Statoil.

Marit Berling, Statoil’s Vice President for Gullfaks Operations adds: “Helping utilise spare processing capacity, the project extends the Gullfaks A platform life beyond 2030.”

Looking into the future

The GSO project is part of Statoil’s fast-track portfolio, but it has a larger and more complex subsea scope than ordinary developments of this kind.

“Close to 800 vessel days and 2.3 million working hours have been completed with good HSE results. GSO is our most comprehensive fast-track project,” says Trond Bokn, Vice President for Subsea Projects in Technology, Projects and Drilling.

Adapted from press release by David Bizley

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/offshore-and-subsea/30072015/statoil-begins-production-from-its-gullfaks-fast-track-project/