Statoil to increase oil recovery on Åsgard

Jan. 20, 2004
Statoil ASA, operator of the Norwegian Sea Åsgard license—once called "the most daring and complex subsea project ever launched"—plans to increase oil recovery by 26 million bbl from Smørbukk, one of Åsgard's three fields (see development map, OGJ, Aug. 17, 1998, p. 66).

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, Jan. 20 -- Statoil ASA, operator of the Norwegian Sea Åsgard license—once called "the most daring and complex subsea project ever launched"—plans to increase oil recovery by 26 million bbl from Smørbukk, one of Åsgard's three fields (see development map, OGJ, Aug. 17, 1998, p. 66).

Phase I of the 1.8 billion kroner expansion program includes the drilling of two additional wells through a new, five-slot Q subsea template on the Smørbukk South deposit. The wellstream will be piped in two new flowlines to the Åsgard A floating production, storage, and offloading vessel.

Phase II of the project will include a gas injection well drilled through the existing R gas injection template on Smørbukk South.

FMC Technologies, Houston, will supply subsea production systems, including three trees and associated structure, manifold, and production controls system, and Transocean Offshore Inc.'s Transocean Searcher drilling and completion unit will drill the three wells, spudding the first in April (OGJ Online, Jan. 19, 2004). Production is scheduled to begin in early 2005.

Statoil said two wells in the 52-well Åsgard main drilling program also have yet to be drilled, with the Stena Don semisubmersible currently spudding the penultimate producer. The final well in that program also will be drilled through the new Q template.