Equinor has started production from the NOK 19 billion ($2.17 billion) Snorre Expansion Project in the Norwegian North Sea, ahead of schedule.

Originally, the increased oil recovery project at the Snorre field was to come on stream in the first quarter of next year.

Commenting on the commissioning of the Snorre Expansion Project, Geir Tungesvik – Equinor executive vice president for Technology, Projects and Drilling, said: “I am proud that we have managed to achieve safe start-up of the Snorre Expansion Project ahead of schedule in such a challenging year as 2020. In addition, the project is set to be delivered more than NOK 1 billion below the cost estimate in the plan for development and operation (PDO).

The Snorre Expansion Project is expected to add approximately 200 million barrels of recoverable oil reserves, besides prolonging the life of the Snorre field through 2040.

Located in the Tampen area, the Snorre field was expected to produce until 2011–2014 having begun production of oil and gas in 1992.

Subsea templates of the Snorre Expansion Project sail away from Tønsberg. Photo courtesy of Roar Lindefjeld – Espen Rønnevik / Equinor ASA.

Under the Snorre Expansion Project, Equinor and partners drilled two dozen new wells for drawing the new volumes from the offshore Norwegian oil and gas field. While 12 of the wells are for production, the other 12 are injection wells.

The increased oil recovery project also saw the installation of half a dozen new subsea templates for production and alternating water/gas injection alongside pipelines and umbilicals for connecting the subsea templates and the Snorre A platform.

The Snorre A platform was upgraded as per the plan for development and operation (PDO) for receiving the new production from the subsea templates of the expansion project.

Alongside, the Gullfaks field, the Snorre oil and gas field will draw electricity from the 11 floating wind turbines of the 88MW Hywind Tampen project, which is slated to start operations in Q3 2022.

Equinor Energy with a stake of 33.27% is the operator of the Snorre field. Its partners in the Snorre oil and gas field and the Snorre Expansion Project are Petoro (30%), Vår Energi (18.55%), Wintershall Dea Norge (8.57%), and Idemitsu Petroleum Norge (9.6%).

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