Norway approves Gudrun field development

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, June 18 -- Statoil and partners have received approval for development of Gudrun oil and gas field about 55 km north of Sleipner oil field off Norway.

The Norwegian Parliament approved the group’s development plan based on a fixed steel platform connected by pipeline to Sleipner facilities. Water depth in the field, discovered in 1974, is 110 m (OGJ Online, Feb. 18, 2010).

Statoil, operator with 46.8% interest, estimates reserves at 11.2 million standard cu m of oil and 6.6 billion standard cu m of natural gas in a high-pressure Jurassic sandstone at 4,200-4,700 m.

Partners are Marathon Petroleum 28.2% and GDF Suez 25%.

Statoil expects production to start at undisclosed rates in 2014. Initial processing will occur on the 16-slot, 7,400-tonne Gudrun platform, to be installed in the summer of 2011. Drilling will begin in October 2011.

After further processing on the Sleipner A platform, gas will move into the Gassled system for transport to Europe. Oil will be move by pipeline to Karsto, Norway, with Sleipner condensate.