2022 marks 25 years since the Norne field in the Norwegian Sea came on stream.
The Norne field started production on 6 November 1997, following its discovery in 1992.
The Norne licence was awarded in 1986, and comprises blocks 6608/10 and 6608/11. The water depth at the Norne field is 380 metres, and the distance to the Heidrun field is 85 kilometres.
The development concept utilises a production and storage vessel (FPSO) tied into well templates on the seabed. Flexible risers lead the wellstream to the ship, which rotates around a cylinder-shaped turret anchored to the seabed. The risers and umbilicals are also attached to the turret, while the ship has a processing plant on deck and storage tanks for oil.
Gas has been exported from Norne since February 2001. The gas is transported through the pipeline systems Norne Gas Export and Åsgard Transport via Kårstø in northern Rogaland County to the Continent. The distance between the field and the landing site in Dornum in Germany is just over 1,400 kilometres.
Verdande extending lifespan of Norne field
Consent to extend the life of Norne FPSO in 2018 increased value creation from the Norne field and its satellites, which include the Alve, Urd, Skuld and Marulk fields.
However, the hunt for further profitable infill wells has been on for some time, and on December 6, 2022, Equinor and partnership submitted the plan for development and operation (PDO) for Verdande to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. Verdande consists of the 6608/10-17 S (Cape Vulture) and Alve North-East discoveries, around 300 kilometres offshore Bodø in Northern Norway, in the Norwegian Sea.
Verdande will provide important local and regional ripple effects. It will also help meet the energy demanded by European customers. The discoveries were proven in 2017 and 2020 respectively and contain a total of 36.3 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent.
Verdande will provide good utilisation of spare capacity on the Norne vessel, and its resources contributes to an economic extended lifespan beyond 2026. The Verdande development solution consists of a subsea template tied back to the Norne vessel via a new pipeline.
Norne:
Location: Blocks 6608/10 and 6608/11
Production start: 6 November 1997
Production: Oil
Verdande:
Production start: Fourth quarter of 2025.