PSA: Centrica Nears Vale Lifetime Extension Approval (Norway)

On 30 October, the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) conducted an audit of Centrica Resources (Norge) AS (Centrica).

The audit activity was conducted as part of the processing of Centrica’s application for consent relating to lifetime extension of the well, subsea facilities, production pipeline and umbilical cord for Vale.

In the audit, PSA wanted a presentation of Centrica’s operations organisation and governing documents, how the operations agreement divides the tasks and responsibility between Centrica and Statoil, how emergency preparedness issues are addressed by the company, what assessments form the basis for the lifetime extension of the infrastructure, and what verification activities Centrica carried out independently during the phase prior to taking over the operatorship and during the operations phase.

“No nonconformities or improvement items were identified,” said the safety regulator in a press release.

Vale field, located in PL249 in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, was discovered in 1991. First oil from the field started flowing in August the same year.

[mappress]

November 28, 2012; Image: Centrica