RWE Dea Norge Selects Concept for PL435 Zidane Development

RWE Dea Norge, operator of production license (PL) 435 Zidane and partners, reached a decision on the concept selection for the field development project. The concept consists of a tie-in to the platform at the Heidrun oil and gas field and a gas export through the Polarled pipeline system.

The main objective of the concept selection has been to develop the best technical and commercial solution for the Zidane discovery with focus on Health, Safety and Environment (HSE). A range of potential development concepts have been evaluated and the selected concept is a tie-in to the Heidrun platform with gas export through the Polarled pipeline system. The decision also implicates that RWE Dea Norge is aiming for a Plan for Development and Operation (PDO) towards the end of the year.

“This is a major step of RWE Dea as operator of Zidane in Norway,” says Hans-Joachim Polk, Managing Director of RWE Dea Norge. “We are currently building up the organisation for the next development phases. I’m very pleased with the performance of our people involved in the Zidane project and we appreciate the constructive cooperation with our partners,” Polk explains.

The development concept includes a four slot subsea template with four producing wells. Transport of the well-stream from Zidane to Heidrun will go through a 15 kilometres, thermal insulated, production flowline. A new gas treatment and export module will be installed on the Heidrun platform and water and condensate will be treated in the existing Heidrun facilities for condensate stabilisation.

PL435 Zidane, located approximately 15 kilometres North West of the Heidrun field and 35 kilometres South of the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea, was awarded in APA 2006. The first well was drilled in September 2010 and discovered a 150 metres gas column in the Fangst group. The second discovery, drilled to the adjacent structure, was made in 2012. Zidane 2 also discovered a 140 metres column of gas in the same interval. The total size of the discoveries is estimated to between 14 – 22 billion cubic metres of recoverable gas.

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Press Release, March 18, 2013