Goliat start-up on the horizon with one more approval granted?

Eni Norge has received an approval from the Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet), whose main task is preventing pollution, to start oil production from the Goliat field in the Barents Sea. 

The field is located offshore Norway, 85 kilometers northwest of Hammerfest, and it will be the first oil field in the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea to start production.

Eni Norge, as the operator of the field, in 2015 applied for a discharge permit under the Pollution Control Act with the agency and now the agency, after processing the application, gave the green light to Eni.

The company also received approval from the Norwegian offshore safety watchdog, the Petroleum Safety Authority, to use the Goliat FPSO and associated facilities on the Goliat field moving it a step closer to production after series of delays.

According to the environmental agency’s requirements, the company must detect an oil spill within three hours of it happening, no matter the time of day. Three barriers will be set up to limit the spreading in case of an oil spill including the barrier near the platform and the open sea. A system for removing the oil from the surface and vessels with oil dispersants must be in place no later than two hours after the discharge, the agency requires.

Furthermore, the operator needs to adapt the schedules of vessels and barges when it is cold and there is a danger of icing that could potentially weaken the emergency duty.

Water back into the reservoir

The Norwegian Environment Agency also requires that the 95% of the water that comes up from the reservoir, that contains oil and chemicals, be injected back to the reservoir. The water that is not injected back into the reservoir needs to be clean from oil before being discharged.

The field is powered by a subsea cable, that is 105.5-kilometer long, and by an offshore gas turbine. This is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by half as a result of reduced fossil fuel consumption in the gas turbines.

Goliat

Water depth in the field area is 360-420 metres. The field is estimated to hold about 174 million barrels of oil. It was proven in 2000, and the field development plan was submitted in 2009.

The Goliat field is being developed with a cylindrical floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit that arrived at the field location on May 7, 2015.

Eni Norge is the operator of the Goliat licence PL229/229B with 65% interest while Statoil Petroleum holds 35% interest.

Offshore Energy Today Staff