Statoil to double production from Glitne oil field

April 23, 2007
Statoil ASA plans to drill the seventh well this summer in Glitne oil field on the Norwegian continental shelf, extending field life to 2009.

Uchenna Izundu
International Editor

LONDON, Apr. 23 -- Statoil ASA plans to drill the seventh well this summer in Glitne oil field on the Norwegian continental shelf, extending field life to 2009. The well will double field output from the field to 18,000 b/d beginning in October, the company said.

Reserves are estimated at 25 million bbl of oil. However, using Petroleum Geo-Services ASA's Petrojarl I floating production, storage, and offloading vessel, which has a capacity of 180,000 bbl of oil, Statoil hopes to recover closer to 50 million bbl of oil.

High oil prices, greater reservoir expertise, and increased demand and competition are driving the extended production, Statoil said.

"Statoil is the largest operator of small fields on the NCS," said Astrid Sørensen, Statoil's senior vice president for the Troll/Sleipner business cluster. "Small fields are responsible for 17% of Statoil's oil and gas production," Sørensen said. "Most of them are tied back to other platforms. By 2015, production from them will probably make up as much as 20-30%."

The field, which started production from four wells in 2001, was originally expected to deplete in 2003 but that was postponed to 2007 from six wells (OGJ Online, Aug. 29, 2001).

Glitne lies on Blocks 15/5 and 15/6 in the North Sea. Statoil is operator with a 58.9% share. Other licensees are Total SA with 21.8%, DNO ASA 10%, and Dong AS 9.3%.

Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected]