Marathon unlocks fresh resources in 'mature' southern province

摘要

Marathon Petroleum's new multi-field Alvheim project underlines the potential of the supposedly mature Norwegian North Sea. Though not in the same class as the giant Snohvit and Ormen Lange gas projects farther north, Alvheim represents a good medium-size development based primarily on oil reserves. Marathon, as operator, holds a 65% interest in the development, with partners Conoco-Phillips (20%) and Lundin (15%). This summer, Marathon was due to submit a plan for development and operation (PDO) for Alvheim, which consists of three fields -Kameleon, Boa, and Kneler. The development is based on the use of an FPSO. The licensees have agreed to buy Statoil's Odin, a multipurpose shuttle tanker designed for easy conversion to a production ship. Up to 17 wells - 15 producers and two water disposal wells - will be tied back to the vessel, accord-ing to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) filed by the company in the spring.