Equinor and partners to invest $165 million in Vigdis boosting station

Norway’s Equinor has decided to boost production at its subsea field Vigdis by almost 11 million barrels. The field has been producing oil through the Snorre field for more than 20 years.

Equinor said on Wednesday that, together with its partners, it had decided to invest some NOK 1.4 billion ($164.8M) in Vigdis boosting station, expected to come online in the first quarter of 2021.

“This is an improved oil recovery project which includes a multiphase boosting station that will increase production from existing wells. This adds new oil barrels at a highly competitive price,” says Torger Rød, Equinor’s senior vice president for project management control.

According to Equinor, the boosting station will be connected to the pipeline to enhance the capacity between Vigdis and Snorre A, and will help bring the well stream from the subsea field up to the platform. Thanks to the boosting station wellhead pressure can also be reduced, which further increases production from the wells.

In addition to the subsea boosting station the project will involve some modifications to Snorre A, which receives oil from the Vigdis field, and Snorre B, supplying the new boosting station with power from a new umbilical.

Contract for OneSubsea

The contract for delivering the boosting system, including subsea template and trawling protection, has been awarded to OneSubsea. The contract value is estimated at NOK 700 million.

Engineering is starting in December 2018 in Bergen, the assembly will take place at the company’s plant at Horsøy near Bergen. OneSubsea will use several sub-contractors, including Framo Flatøy fabricating the pump and Luster Mekaniske Industri fabricating piping. More contracts will be awarded in the near future. A total of 500 people will be involved in delivering the Vigdis boosting station.

“A contract for the work to be performed on the Snorre A and B platforms will be awarded later, whereas marine operations will be performed under Equinor’s framework contracts,” Rød says.

When the Vigdis field came on stream in 1997 it was assumed that the field would produce 200 million barrels of oil. So far, the field has produced twice as much. Recoverable resources from Vigdis are now estimated at 455 million barrels of oil.

“Through further development in several phases Equinor has continuously developed this field. I am proud that we have successfully increased the value creation from Vigdis, and would like to thank our employees, partners and suppliers who have contributed,” says Jez Averty, Equinor’s senior vice president for Operations South.

The Vigdis field is located in the Tampen area in the North Sea in block 34/7 (PL089). Equinor is the operator with an interest of 41.5%. Other partners are Petoro (30 %), ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway (16.1%), Idemitsu Petroleum Norge (9.6%) and DEA Norge (2.8%).