Equinor hires Noble rig for Valemon campaign

Noble Corporation has been awarded a contract by Equinor for drilling three wells at the Valemon field from the summer of 2021, using the Noble Lloyd Noble drilling rig.

Equinor said on Tuesday that the contract includes an option for drilling one extra well at the Valemon field and 11 wells that are not included in the same licence.

The rig contractor also received a master frame agreement with Equinor.

The total value of the day rates for the fixed part of the contract is estimated at around $51 million.

Additional cost includes integrated services such as managed pressure drilling, treatment of cuttings and wastewater as well as running casing and tubing, further, rig modifications, mobilization and demobilization. 

“We are very pleased with the job this rig has done for us at the Mariner field off the coast of Scotland, in particular, the safety culture”, says Erik G. Kirkemo, senior vice president of drilling & well operations.

“With strong onboard leadership they have embedded best practice for safety and have not had any incidents so far in 2020. Through good planning and collaboration, they have achieved strong operational results close to what we define as a perfect well”.

Equinor noted that, being the world’s tallest jack-up rig, Noble Lloyd Noble can stand on the seabed in up to 150 metres of water under tough weather conditions.

The Valemon drilling campaign is estimated to take around 230 days.

“Equinor is exploring new ways of working with suppliers to increase efficiency and create value together. Long-term collaboration with suppliers who deliver on our expectations is an important element in that respect. This way we reward safe and efficient deliveries and keep building on experience and improvement results achieved in past projects”, says Peggy Krantz-Underland, Equinor’s chief procurement officer.

The contract is subject to the rig receiving an Acknowledgement of Compliance from the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway.

The partners of the Valemon licence are Equinor (66.78 per cent, operator), Petoro (30 per cent) and Shell (3.22 per cent).

Valemon is a field in the northern part of the North Sea, just west of the Kvitebjørn field. The water depth is 135 metres. Valemon was discovered in 1985, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 2011.

The field is developed with a fixed production platform with a simplified separation process design. The platform is remotely controlled from an operations centre onshore. Production started in 2015.

Due to its fragmented high-pressure, high-temperature qualities, Valemon is a complex reservoir. The field is produced by pressure depletion.

The condensate is transported by pipeline to the Kvitebjørn field, and via the Kvitebjørn Oil Pipeline to Mongstad. The rich gas is exported via the previous Huldra pipeline to Heimdal for further export to the UK or continental Europe.