Eni gains nod to bring Goliat back on stream

Italian oil company Eni has received permission from Norwegian authorities to restart production from its Goliat field located in the Barents Sea offshore Norway. 

Following an overall assessment, the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has determined that the order which required a shutdown of Goliat has now been complied with, which means that operator Eni Norge can bring the field back on stream, the safety agency said last Friday.

The order which required Eni to cease production from Goliat was issued on October 6, 2017. That followed an audit directed at electrical safety on the field, which took place from 19-28 September.

This audit revealed serious breaches of the regulations, and the PSA therefore gave Eni notice of an order on October 5, 2017.

The PSA decided on November 10 to conduct a verification related to the order before production from Goliat could be resumed. This was carried out on November 23-24.

At the same time, the PSA requested that Eni take the initiative on a meeting to present its plans for bringing the field back on stream. Statoil, a partner in the field with a 35% interest, was asked to attend this meeting to explain what measures it has implemented as a Goliat licensee to fulfill its see-to-it duty, with particular reference to the resumption of production. This meeting took place on December 6, 2017.

“On the basis of the information received from Eni and Statoil, together with its own verification and overall assessments, the PSA now regards the order as complied with. This means that the PSA has no objections to production resuming on Goliat,” the PSA stated.

The PSA emphasized that its verification does not involve any approval of the equipment or safety on the field. Eni, together with Statoil, is responsible for safety on Goliat.

A basic principle of Norway’s petroleum regulations is that each company is responsible for the safety of its own activities. The necessary detailed knowledge, decision-making authority and not least resources to ensure implementation of and compliance with the regulatory requirements rest with the individual player.