Statoil shuts Huldra for good

Statoil is shutting down the Huldra, the first gravity-based, Statoil-operated installation in the North Sea to be shut down permanently.

Terminating production on 3 September, the platform has produced gas and condensate for six extra years compared to the original plan.

Since the Huldra field (PL051/052) came on stream on 21 November 2001 it has produced a total of 17,5 GSm³ of wet gas and has a recovery rate of 80%.

Statoil says that, in its golden days, Huldra produced more than 11 million standard cubic metres of gas and 4,000 standard cubic metres of condensate per day.

Being the first Statoil-operated platform without permanent staffing, Huldra was operated from the Veslefrikk B platform located around 16 kilometres away.

Operational and maintenance tasks on Huldra have temporarily required personnel on the installation.

Possibilities of reusing the platform

The Huldra cessation project was launched some years ago to prepare a concept, plans and impact assessment of the cessation.

The project has considered the possibility of reusing the platform instead of scrapping it, and the platform was therefore put up for sale in 2011. The project is still actively seeking a solution of reuse.

To remind, in 2011, Statoil launched an unusual advert for the sale of the platform. Using a real-estate jargon the oil giant wrote: “Well kept 20 bedroom platform for sale. Panorama sea view and plenty of room for a helicopter. Only your imagination limits what it can be used for.”

The Huldra platform will be regularly maintained until the West Epsilon drilling rig arrives at Huldra in 2016 for permanent well plugging, and project activities will also be carried out during this period.

The field will not be fully decommissioned before 2019 and no later than 2021.