OREANDA-NEWS. The Statfjord A platform in the North Sea actually should have been shut down several years ago. Statoil, Centrica and ExxonMobil have now decided to extend production from the platform until 2020.

“Statfjord A is our oldest platform and represents the history of the company's inception. The extension means that Statfjord A will still be in operation when the new giant Johan Sverdrup comes on stream. The size of the Statfjord field is unique, making it a significant part of the history of the Norwegian shelf for 40 years. We will take the experiences from Statfjord with us in our work with Johan Sverdrup, which has a horizon of 40 years," says Atle Rettedal, director of production for the Statfjord field.

Originally, the partnership hoped to recover 40% of the oil in the Statfjord field. The outcome so far is a record 66%. The global average for oil fields is 35%. The goal is to recover 74% of the gas from Statfjord.

"We are reaping the benefits of the efforts we have invested over many years in that we will now manage to recover even more of the resources in a manner that creates value for the owners and for society," Rettedal continues.

From bold decision to successful implementation
Statfjord has gone from its original status as an oil field to the present, where mainly gas is produced and is sent to customers on the Continent and in the UK.

The fact that the Statfjord field still has many years of production ahead of it is the result of the partnership's bold decision ten years ago to rebuild the entire field to produce gas (Statfjord late life).

Good work by Statoil's own organisation, partners and suppliers all these years - along with NOK 23 billion in investments - have also been important contributions in maintaining the production.

Each year, 2,500 full-time equivalents are invested in the Statfjord field, including the contribution from the suppliers, to enable safe and efficient operations.

Active drilling programme
An active drilling programme is contributing to the continued maturation of recoverable reserves on Statfjord. By the time 2013 draws to a close, we will have drilled 11 wells, while 10 new wells are planned for 2014.

Impressive production/track record
The Statfjord field has produced more than 4.7 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Stacked up on top of each other, the oil barrels would have yielded 10 towers reaching from the earth to the moon.

Statfjord A's highest producing well, A-06, has produced 120 million barrels on its own, more than many of the field developments we see today.

The production record for a single day was set on 16 January 1987, when 850,204 barrels of oil were produced.

Licensees on the Statfjord field:
Statoil Petroleum AS (44.34% - operator), ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS (21.37%) Centrica Resources (Norway) AS (19.76%) and Centrica Resources Limited (14.53%).