The redevelopment of the Snorre field in the North Sea consists of six subsea templates, which will be tied into Snorre A. The authorities have now given Equinor and its partners consent to start up.
24 new wells, 13 production wells and 11 VAG (water-alternating gas) injectors will be drilled. The recoverable reserves are predicted to be in the order of 195 million barrels in the amended plan for development and operation (PDO).
“The expansion of Snorre is a result of tireless work by both the companies and the authorities; work which has been ongoing for close to 15 years,” says Arvid Østhus, the NPD’s assistant director development and operations – North Sea.
Two years ago, the licensees submitted an amended PDO for a redevelopment of the field, called the Snorre Expansion Project, and this was approved by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy the same year.
In 2018, the original oil reserves were 1929 million barrels, with remaining oil reserves estimated at 94 million cubic metres (590 million barrels).
Snorre is located in the Tampen area in the northern part of the North Sea. Water depth in the area is 300-350 metres. The field produces oil from Triassic and Lower Jurassic sandstones in the Lunde Formation and Statfjord Group and consists of several large fault blocks. The reservoir is at a depth of 2,000-2,700 metres and has a complex structure with both channels and flow barriers.
The Snorre field was discovered in 1979 and currently produces through facilities Snorre A in the south and Snorre UPA in the central part of the field. Snorre A is a floating drilling, production and living quarters platform that is moored to the seabed with tension legs. Snorre UPA is a subsea production facility tied back to Snorre A. There is also a dedicated process module on Snorre A for full stabilisation of the well stream from Vigdis. Production started in 1992.
In 1998, the authorities approved the PDO for the Snorre B facility, a semi-submersible integrated drilling, process and living quarters platform. Snorre B, which is situated in the northern part of the field, started production in 2001.
