Statoil ASA has permanently shut down production from its Huldra field platform on PL051/052 in the North Sea. The platform’s production lifespan outlasted its original plan by 6 years.
Huldra field came on stream in November 2001 and has since produced 17.5 billion standard cu m of wet gas at an 80% recovery rate (OGJ Online, Nov. 23, 2001). At its peak it produced more than 11 million standard cu m/day of gas and 4,000 standard cu m/day of condensate.
Huldra was the first Statoil-operated platform without permanent staffing, operated from 16 km away at the Veslefrikk B platform.
The company, which put the platform up for sale in 2011, says it’s still actively seeking a solution for reuse. The platform will be regularly maintained until North Atlantic Drilling Ltd.’s West Epsilon drilling rig arrives at Huldra in 2016 for permanent well plugging.
Statoil notes that the field will not be fully decommissioned before 2019 and no later than 2021.
