Lundin closing in on Edvard Grieg start-up

Edvard Grieg platform, Safe Boreas flotel and Rowan Viking drilling rig; Image: Lundin
Edvard Grieg platform, Safe Boreas flotel and Rowan Viking drilling rig; Image: Lundin

Lundin Petroleum, an oil and gas exploration and production company, is planning to start production from Edvard Grieg field, in the Central North Sea, in November 2015. 

Lundin is the operator of the field located in licence PL338, south of the Grane and Balder fields and 180 kilometres west of Stavanger.

The Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) Norway has given Lundin consent for the start-up and operation of Edvard Grieg platform upon completion of commissioning. According to the offshore safety regulator, the start-up is planned for November 2015.

The Edvard Grieg field consists of a platform resting on the seabed (steel jacket), with a full process facility, dry wellheads with external jack-up drilling and living quarters.

In its 3Q 2015 report on Wednesday, Lundin reported that the commissioning and hook-up activities were progressing well with over 600 persons currently working on the Edvard Grieg installation. As of end October 2015, 80 percent of the commissioning and hook-up work had been completed, Lundin said.

Alex Schneiter, President and CEO, said: “We have made good progress with our development projects and I am very encouraged with the performance achieved in the hook up and commissioning phase of the Edvard Grieg field development, which is now 80 percent completed.

“Furthermore, we have received the formal approval from the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority from a health, safety, environmental and operational readiness perspective to commence production. We are firmly on track to achieve first oil by the end of the fourth quarter.”

The Rowan Viking rig is currently being used on the Edvard Grieg field for additional accommodation in relation to the hook-up and commissioning work and will re-start the development drilling campaign in November 2015 and a third production well will be ready around year end 2015, the company added.

Lundin also said that plateau production from the Edvard Grieg field was expected during the second half of 2016 and development drilling would continue into 2018.

Lundin’s partners in the project are OMV Norge with 20% stake, Wintershall Norge with 15%, and Statoil with 15% stake.

Offshore Energy Today Staff