A compressor is due to be installed on Statoil’s Huldra platform in the North Sea in order to improve recovery and extend the end of this field’s producing life from 2006 to 2011.
Worth some NOK 320 million, the turnkey contract for preparing the module and the platform has been awarded to Vetco Aibel.
The compressor has been purchased through Statoil’s frame agreement with Dresser Rand, and the group has also awarded a contract for transporting and installing the module to Saipem UK.
Due to be completed in late 2006/early 2007, the project has a total cost framework of around NOK 600 million.
"This gas and condensate field is entering its tail production phase,” explains Bjørg Aalstad, operations vice president for Huldra and Veslefrikk.
“Reservoir pressure has been falling and output declining, and we expect the field to cease flowing in the autumn of 2006 unless action is taken.”
This calls for pressure reduction in the production facilities on the Huldra platform, which in turn requires a compressor for continued gas export to Hydro’s Heimdal platform.
The latter stands 140 kilometres to the south, while condensate from Huldra is piped to Statoil’s Veslefrikk B platform 16 kilometres to the east for processing.
“Improving recovery is important if we’re going to fulfil our ambition of producing a million barrels of oil equivalent per day from the Norwegian continental shelf beyond 2010,” says Ms Aalstad.
The Huldra platform came on stream in November 2001 and is remotely operated from Veslefrikk B.