BP and partners started production from the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea on 31 December 2012.
“The start-up of Skarv is a key operational milestone for BP, adding new production from one of our core higher-margin areas,” Bob Dudley, BP group chief executive, said.
The Skarv field is approximately 210 km west of the Norwegian coast in water depths of approximately 350 to 450 meters. Discovered in 1998, the field has an estimated ultimate recovery of around 100 million barrels of oil and condensate and over 1.5 trillion cu ft of rich gas.
The field development includes a new highly-advanced floating production, storage and offloading vessel built for harsh waters, five subsea drilling templates and an 80-km 26-in gas export pipeline connected to the Gassled transportation system, allowing export to markets in Europe.
The field will ramp up production and is anticipated to reach around 125,000 boe/d monthly average rate (30,000 boe/d net to BP) within the first six months of production and an expected maximum daily rate of approximately 165,000 boe/d (40,000 boe/d net BP) by year end.
“The field’s development has already created many jobs and business activities at Helgeland. With its expected field life of 25 years, Skarv will continue to be an important contributor to local business activities,” Rebecca Wiles, BP Norway managing director, said.
