Norsk Hydro starting up two North Sea oil fields

Sept. 23, 2003
Norsk Hydro ASA, Oslo, began oil production Tuesday from giant Grane field on Block 25/11 off Norway and plans to start output from Fram Vest field in October.

By OGJ editorsf
HOUSTON, Sept. 23 -- Norsk Hydro ASA, Oslo, began oil production Tuesday from giant Grane field on Block 25/11 off Norway and plans to start output from Fram Vest field in October.

Twelve pre-drilled wells are being linked up to the platform in 120 m of water 185 km west of Haugesund. Production will increase gradually until it peaks at just over 210,000 b/d in the first half of 2004. The 18.5° gravity oil comes from Tertiary sandstones at 1,700 m.

Grane receives gas from the Heimdal gas center through a 50-km pipeline. The gas is injected with water into the reservoir to increase oil production (OGJ, Jan. 27, 2003, p. 50). Grane oil is to be shipped through a 212-km pipeline to Hydro's terminal at Stura in Øygarden.

Norsk Hydro expects to recover 700 million bbl of oil from Grane. It said the field startup occurred 3 weeks ahead of schedule and 500 million kroner under budget.

The Grane licensees are Norsk Hydro 38%, Norway's state Petoro 30%, ExxonMobil Corp. 25.6%, and ConocoPhillips 6.4%.

Fram Vest oil is to be piped to Troll facilities, where capacity will limit Fram Vest output to 45,000 b/d until it peaks at 60,000 b/d in early 2004 (OGJ Online, July 18, 2001).