In connection with the company's energy seminar in Bergen on 7 November, Hydro and partners were able to celebrate the completion of the Tune gas and condensate field. Tune, situated ten kilometers southwest of Oseberg, will significantly boost the development of Hydro's gas portfolio and improve resource utilization in the Oseberg area.
The Tune development consists of a template with four wells linked to the Oseberg Field Center. The field's total reserves run to 27 billion cubic meters gas and seven million cubic meters of condensate.
Tune, due to come on stream in November 2002, will initially produce three billion cubic meters of gas annually. These volumes will be used for injection on Oseberg and will therefore liberate greater amounts of that field's gas for export. This will contribute to more optimal resource utilization on Oseberg.
The development of the Tune subsea installation and the modifications to the Oseberg Field Center cost less than estimated and were completed on schedule.
The Tune partnership decided originally to lay chromium-steel pipelines between Tune and Oseberg. The goal was to reduce the use of anti-corrosive chemicals and the resulting environmental impact of the project. Because of leakages, the partners resolved in July 2002 to switch to carbon steel pipelines and replacement work was completed in less than three months. It was, however, not been possible to complete the work by the scheduled start-up date, 1 October.
The gas will be piped via Oseberg Gasstransport to Heimdal and then on the UK and the continent.
Tune was discovered by Hydro in 1995 and the development plan for the field approved in 1999.
Partners on Tune
- Hydro (operator) - 40.00 percent
- Petoro - 40.00 percent
- TotalFinaElf - 20.00 percent