Oil production from the Ivar Aasen field may start to decline in late 2019, less than three year after startup on Christmas eve 2016, due to increasing water production. Oil processing and gas capacity will then be available from approximately 2020.
More oil is therefore needed.
Consequently, exploring near field prospects and leads to mitigate the production decline, is necessary.
AkerBP is operator for many licenses in the Ivar Aasen neighbourhood, and several prospects and leads have been identified. A new Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) seismic acquisition will be executed in 2018 to further mature these. The challenge is that the choice of ranking criteria has a big impact on drilling decisions. Ranking these projects with exploration targets elsewhere, only considering chance of success and volume potential, often gives them low priorities.
However, small opportunities can have high value contribution for an existing oil field. A strategy to prioritize a time right near field exploration, i.e. optimized drilling campaigns, will be vital. Many of these near field exploration opportunities can be tested together with infill drilling, but often ends up in complex decision processes. To maximize the value of oil fields on the NCS and to leave no oil behind: How can we simplify our processes and secure drilling of near field prospects?
