Wintershall hikes estimates of recoverable resources for Maria field

Dec. 18, 2014
Wintershall Holding GMBH reported higher recoverable resource estimates for the Maria field in the Norwegian Sea. The revised estimate is 180 million boe, an increase of 40 million boe.

Wintershall Holding GMBH reported higher recoverable resource estimates for the Maria field in the Norwegian Sea. The revised estimate is 180 million boe, an increase of 40 million boe.

The new technical production profile has about 150 million bbl of oil, 10 million boe of gas, and 20 million boe of natural gas liquids. The earlier profile had 130 million bbl of oil and 10 million boe of associated gas.

The company said extensive laboratory tests showed the water saturation in the reservoir is lower than original estimates. “We have also shown through detailed reservoir simulations that we can improve the recovery factor,” said Hugo Dijkgraaf, Maria project director.

The Maria development plan is expected to be submitted to Norwegian authorities in the first half of 2015, the company said.

Maria will be linked via subsea tieback to the Kristin, Heidrun, and Asgard B production platforms via two templates on the ocean floor (OGJ Online, Oct. 7, 2014).

Maria, discovered in 2010, is scheduled to start production in 2018. Wintershall, the operator, has 50%; Petoro AS 30%; and Centrica Resources (Norge) AS 20%.