The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) is skeptical of the proposal to plug wells as a measure to keep drilling rigs in activity as re-using wells on the Norwegian shelf can be good business, the NPD said on Monday.
The petroleum directorate says that, as resource steward, it wants the industry to use available rig capacity to drill new profitable wells and is considering re-use of existing wells to avoid declining production on existing fields. Multiple re-use methods are used to produce remaining resources; here, it is important for decisions concerning potential plugging to be well-reasoned and long-term, the directorate explained.
The NPD also says it wants to stimulate the licensees to utilize these opportunities for improved recovery on the fields.
“It is important that the considerable investments represented by a well, are utilized as long as they are profitable in a long-term perspective,” the NPD said.
The NPD’s figures show that there are about 2200 wellbores in use on producing fields. The wells are used to produce oil and gas or to inject water and gas in order to drain reservoirs in the best possible manner, explained the NPD.
The NPD has, based on reported figures, estimated that about 40 – 50 wells are scheduled to be plugged each year over the next few years. According to the directorate, most of these wells are plugged from fixed facilities and the figures change continuously as new wells are drilled and others are plugged. The licensees on the various fields are responsible for the wells and have the overview of their own fields.