Centrica Energi has received consent to use the facilities on the Vale field beyond the original planned lifetime.
Vale is a gas condensate field located in block 25/4 in the central part of the North Sea, approx. 16 km north of Heimdal, at a depth of 115 metres. The field was developed with a subsea template on the seabed, which is tied in to the Heimdal facility.
Production on Vale started in 2002 and was planned to last ten years. A lower production rate than assumed has resulted in a need to operate the field beyond this to recover the reserves. Centrica Energi (Centrica), which took over operatorship for the production licence from Statoil on 30 April 2012, applied for consent to use the subsea facility with the associated pipeline and equipment until the production licence expires in 2021.
The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway finds that the prudence of extending the lifetime has been documented, and has granted consent in accordance with the application.
[mappress] Press Release, December 17, 2012; Image: Statoil