Equinor to boost production from Vigdis subsea field

Equinor and its partners reported plans to invest some 1.4 billion kroner in a boosting station for Vigdis subsea field, which has been producing oil through Snorre field for more than 20 years. Equinor expects to bring the station online in first-quarter 2021.

Field production from Vigdis, which lies in the Tampen area in the North Sea on Block 34/7 (PL089), will now be boosted by almost 11 million bbl. Vigdis field came on stream in 1997 and it was estimated at the time that the field would produce 200 million bbl of oil. The field has now produced 394 million bbl and recoverable resources have been increased to 455 million bbl of oil.

“This is an improved oil-recovery project, which includes a multiphase boosting station that will increase production from existing wells,” said Torger Rod, Equinor’s senior vice-president for project management control.

The boosting station will be connected to the pipeline to enhance the capacity between Vigdis and Snorre A and will help bring the well stream from the subsea field up to the platform. Addition of the boosting station means that wellhead pressure also can be reduced, which further increases production from the wells.

In addition to the station, the project will involve some modifications to Snorre A, which receives oil from Vigdis field, and Snorre B, supplying the boosting station with power from a new umbilical.

The contract for the station’s delivery, which is valued at 700 million kroner and is to include subsea template and trawling protection, was let to OneSubsea.

Engineering started this month in Bergen; the assembly will take place at the company’s plant at Horsoy near Bergen. More contracts will be awarded soon. A total of 500 people will be involved in delivering the Vigdis boosting station.

“A contract for the work to be performed on the Snorre A and B platforms will be awarded later, whereas marine operations will be performed under Equinor’s framework contracts,” Rod noted.

Equinor serves as operator with an interest of 41.5%. Other partners include Petoro AS 30%, ExxonMobil Exploration & Production Norway 16.1%, Idemitsu Petroleum Norge AS 9.6%, and DEA Norge AS 2.8%.