Det norske oljeselskap ASA has initiated drilling at its Ivar Aasen field in the Norwegian part of the North Sea.
The company is using the recently delivered Maersk Interceptor, dubbed the world’s largest jack-up rig, to drill three pilot wells in order to further map the subsurface. The drilling of the appraisal wells is expected to be completed by summer 2015.
“The three upcoming pilot wells are important to the licensees. They will enable us to retrieve important reservoir information at an earlier stage. This will create added value for the Ivar Aasen licence,” says Inge Sundet , the drilling manager for Ivar Aasen.
As for the Maersk Interceptor, the rig has been contracted by Det norske for a period of five years, with an option of additional two years. The Ivar Aasen field is planned developed with a total of 15 wells; eight production wells and seven water injection wells.
The Ivar Aasen field comprises three deposits: Ivar Aasen, West Cable and Hanz. Ivar Aasen is located west of the Johan Sverdrup field and contains 210 million barrels of oil equivalents.
Production start-up is planned for the fourth quarter of 2016. The economic life of the field may be 20 years, depending on oil price and production trends.
Det norske oljeselskap ASA is the operator for the Ivar Aasen development, holding a 34.7862 per cent interest in the field. Partners are Statoil, Bayerngas, Wintershall, VNG, Lundin and OMV.