Equinor to extend lifetime of Oseberg’s smallest platform

Norway’s Equinor has been granted consent for continued use of the Oseberg Øst (East) platform located in the North Sea until March 31, 2031.

Oseberg Øst is the smallest platform in the Oseberg area and it is located in the northern part of the North Sea, 15 kilometers east of the Oseberg field. The field was proven in 1981 and production started in 1999.

Equinor had a permit to use the platform through 2018.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) said on Friday it believes there is a basis for continuing operations on Oseberg Øst to recover remaining resources in the field and therefore has given its consent to Equinor to do so.

The original oil reserves were 26.6 million standard cubic meters of oil (167 million barrels). The remaining oil reserves are estimated at 4.9 million cubic meters (31 million barrels).

The field was developed with an integrated fixed platform with living quarter, drilling module and separation of oil, water and gas.

The oil is transported by pipeline to the Oseberg field center for further treatment and transport via the Oseberg transport system to the Sture terminal in Hordaland County. The gas is primarily used for injection and power production for the installation.

Equinor has also received consent from Norway’s offshore safety agency, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), to extend the operating life of the Oseberg Øst platform and associated pipelines to Oseberg A.

The PSA said earlier this week that the consent for extended operating life was contingent on the operator having ascertained that the facilities, pipelines and equipment were in a state that permits them to always be operated safely and in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Considering that Equinor has made the requisite assessments and investigations to ascertain this, the safety agency has given its consent for extension.

Offshore Energy Today Staff