Norway’s Equinor has received approval to continue producing from the Asgard A FPSO in the Norwegian Sea until 2027 .
According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, this means production will continue twelve years longer than the original plan.
Åsgard A plays a particularly important role in recovering as much as possible of the remaining liquid reserves in Smørbukk and Smørbukk Sør, as most of the gas injection wells on these fields are tied into Åsgard A and will rely on the gas injection from Åsgard A through the 2020s, NPD said on Monday.
The licenses are also considering new drilling targets and wells linked to Åsgard A both in the shorter and longer term, and they will be important measures to promote improved recovery.
Additional measures to improve recovery are also being planned. A project involving “low wellhead pressure” is important, and has an expected start-up date in 2022.
Recovery of Trestakk, as well as the “Blåbjørn” discovery, depends on an extended lifetime for Åsgard A.
The technical lifetime for the Åsgard A facility was originally based on 20 years of operation and expires in 2019.