ConocoPhillips gained approval for startup of Tor II facilities in the southern North Sea from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. The operator expects startup to begin in this year’s fourth quarter.
Tor, discovered in 1970, lies 13 km northeast of Ekofisk field in 70 m of water with a reservoir depth of 3,200 m. The field mainly lies on Block 2/4 in production license 018, but a small part extends into Block 2/5 in PL 006. It produced from 1978 to 2015. Oil and gas was produced from fractured chalk of Late Cretaceous age in the Tor formation and of early Paleocene age in the Ekofisk formation. At shutdown, only 20% of the resources in place had been produced.
A plan for development and operation (PDO) for new development of the field, Tor II, was submitted in July 2019, and approved by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in the fall (OGJ Online, July 1, 2019).
Tor II comprises two new subsea templates to be installed on Tor field about 1 km west of the original Tor platform, with no connection to the shut-in facilities. Eight new production wells will be drilled and connected by pipeline to existing risers at the Ekofisk complex. Resource potential for the Tor II project is 60-70 MMboe.
ConocoPhillips is operator with an 30.66% interest. Partners are Total, Var Energi, Equinor, and Petoro.
Mikaila Adams | Managing Editor - News
Mikaila Adams has 20 years of experience as an editor, most of which has been centered on the oil and gas industry. She enjoyed 12 years focused on the business/finance side of the industry as an editor for Oil & Gas Journal's sister publication, Oil & Gas Financial Journal (OGFJ). After OGFJ ceased publication in 2017, she joined Oil & Gas Journal and was named Managing Editor - News in 2019. She holds a degree from Texas Tech University.
