ConocoPhillips Scandinavia (operator) and its partners in the Tor Unit have started production from Tor II. The Tor II project is a redevelopment of the Tor field, which was on production from 1978 through 2015.It is the first redevelopment of a shut-in field on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, and start-up is only 12 months after approval of Plan for Development and Operation by the Norwegian authorities.
The Tor II project is one of several development opportunities in the Greater Ekofisk Area that enable continued efficient operations towards 2050. The project is a two-by-four slot Subsea Production System (SPS) with eight production wells. The SPS is connected to the Ekofisk Complex by multiphase production and gas lift pipelines to existing risers at the Ekofisk 2/4 M wellhead platform. Controls and utilities are provided through a service umbilical from the same existing platform. The new greenfield facilities are located approximately one kilometer west of the original Tor platform with no connection to the shut-in facilities.
Seven production wells are planned to be drilled in the Tor formation. In addition, a pilot well is planned to test long-term productivity in the Ekofisk formation. Resource potential for the Tor II project is in the range of 60-70 million barrels of oil equivalent. Two wells are now producing, and the remaining wells will consecutively be put on production the coming months.
Total capital investments are now estimated to NOK 6.4 billion gross. The Tor II project has a Brent cost of supply below USD 30.
“Having produced the Tor field for 37 years, we are proud to continue to extend development enabling an expected production lifetime beyond 60 years,” said Steinar Vaage, president, Europe, Middle East & North Africa. “Tor II is utilizing available Greater Ekofisk Area capacity for processing and transportation.
The Tor II project has a high Norwegian content of goods and services of 90 per cent, and the project provides work to about 6800 man-years.
About the Tor Field and Tor Unit
The Tor field, discovered in 1970, is a unitized chalk field located in licenses PL018 and PL006 in blocks 2/4 and 2/5, about 13 kilometers northeast of the Ekofisk field. The original development comprised a single manned production platform, Tor 2/4 E, from which oil and associated gas was exported, via pipeline, to the Ekofisk Complex from 1978 until year-end 2015, when the platform lifetime expired. Operator ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS currently holds 30.66 percent ownership of the Tor Unit, while the remaining stake is held by Total E&P Norge AS (48.20 percent), Vår Energi AS (10.82 percent), Equinor Energy AS (6.64 percent) and Petoro AS (3.69 percent).