Europe

IOG plc, a UK developer and producer of indigenous offshore gas, has announced that the wireline intervention at Blythe H2 well, located in the southern North Sea, has been completed. 

“We have successfully completed the wireline intervention at Blythe H2 well, which has now flowed at a maximum stabilised rate around 42 mmscf/d, slightly above our original 30-40 mmscf/d guidance,” commented Rupert Newall, CEO of IOG. “Production will now be managed up from 20 mmscf/d towards the maximum rate to further dewater the pipeline. The team has worked very well to identify the issue and remediate it safely and efficiently. The significant improvement in our operating team performance is also demonstrated by Blythe operating efficiency increasing from 59% in 2022 to 93% over 1H23 to date.”

The company provided details on the H2 intervention operation which included: 
• During well testing prior to H2 First Gas on 12 June, gas flow appeared to be choked back below expected levels by a restriction above the reservoir. Equipment was mobilised to the rig to test whether this was caused by a partially activated downhole valve,
• Over the weekend, the downhole blockage was duly verified at the expected depth. The valve was then fully opened with suitable equipment and the anticipated change in downhole pressure was observed,
• The well was handed back to the operations team in the early hours of Sunday 25 June and subsequently flowed at a maximum stabilised rate of 41.9 mmscf/d,
• Production is now initially set at 20 mmscf/d and will be steadily built up to full rate over the coming week as the Saturn Banks Pipeline System is further dewatered,
• The absence of formation water production from H2 is expected to significantly reduce aqueous liquid arrivals at Bacton, which should in turn reduce unit operating expenditure,
• The plan remains to produce from H2 only over the next few months; once water levels have re-equilibrated at the H1 location, periodic production is planned from H1 at lower rates to minimise water production.

Following the intervention, Newall remarked, “In parallel with the remediation work on H2, we have been assessing next steps for the business very carefully. Mindful of current gas market and balance sheet risks, we have decided to pause drilling activity for now in order to maximise near-term cash flow."

THREE60 Energy, a leading independent energy service company offering complete asset life cycle expertise, has been awarded a multi-million dollar well decommissioning contract in Europe.

As announced on social media, the new contract will see THREE60 Energy plug and abandon 13 injection, production and observation wells in the UK and Europe.

The company will utilise its well decommissioning team to deliver the plug and abandonment designs, prepare operational planning and supervise the offshore execution, which includes the management of the jack-up rig and well abandonment subcontractors.

Nick Ford, Wells UK Managing Director at THREE60 Energy, commented, “With our strong track record of offshore delivery and well abandonment we bring almost 20 years of the technical skills, capabilities and experience needed to successfully deliver this significant well decommissioning project offshore Europe.

Walter Thain, CEO at THREE60 Energy, added, “This contract clearly demonstrates the opportunities available for supply chain companies globally, especially within decommissioning, and is a great example of transferring our competency and capability across multiple geographies.”

Odfjell Technology, an integrated supplier of offshore drilling, well and engineering services, has achieved an industry-first for cleaning blowout preventers (BOPs) by reaching a 50% time reduction during a successful trial.

Odfjell Technology, over a test period of six months, revised the procedure for cleaning the BOP on the Johan Sverdrup platform in Norway by increasing the pump rate to allow more water flow into the BOP cavities to aid debris removal.

The annular and variable rams were flushed with two passes at the new recommended flow rates to remove debris, then the BOP stack was flushed at the same rate using Odfjell Technology’s RizeRdillo Advanced Jetting Tool. The flow rates went from 1,500 litres per minute (LPM) to 5,500LPM while flushing the annular and from 3,000LPM to 5,500LPM while flushing the BOP.

Results from the successful test period proved that no damage occurred to the BOP and annular with the recommended pump rates, and between six and 12 hours of time could be saved using this new procedure.

The RizeRdillo Advanced Jetting Tool allows for higher pump flow rates, enabling a larger volume of fluid with less pump pressure. This maximises riser cleaning efficiency to reduce operating costs and non-productive time.

Ian Low, Global Product Line Manager, Well Intervention at Odfjell Technology, commented, “By focusing on delivering world class expertise and technology which enables more efficient operations without compromise on safety, Odfjell Technology proves it is the partner of choice for customers time and again.

“Our ethos has been demonstrated by our expert teams achieving this impressive industry-first result for cleaning BOPs. BOPs are essential for safe and efficient well operations, and we are proud to deliver leading solutions to our customers to ensure BOPs are operating at optimal levels.”

The Norwegian oil and gas operator, DNO ASA, has reported that the wellhead platform production facilities have been removed from the Schooner field offshore the UK, signifying the last major offshore operation under DNO’s multi-year North Sea decommissioning campaign.

DNO’s Chief Operating Officer, Chris Spencer, said, “We have conducted these operations in a safe, cost-efficient and environmentally responsible manner, coordinating five tier-one contractors and displaying our capabilities as a full life-cycle offshore operator.”

The heavy lift was conducted using the Heerema Marine Contractors’ Thialf semi-submersible crane vessel. The 1,200 tonne platform deck was lifted aboard the vessel on 17 May, while the jacket was removed on 23 May after the piles had been cut three metres below the seabed. The deck and jacket have been transported to the Hoondert Yard in the Netherlands for dismantlement and recycling.

Archer has announced the award of a five-year contract for the provision of coiled tubing and pumping services with Perenco UK Limited in the United Kingdom.

The contract, with an estimated value of up to US$50mn, contains two options of one year each and commenced 3 May 2023 in direct continuation of company's previous contract with Perenco.
Dag Skindlo, CEO of Archer, commented, “We are extremely proud to announce this long-term coiled tubing and pumping contract. This commitment reflects our client’s confidence in our ability to maintain safe operations and continue our strong service delivery performance.

“Archer announced the acquisition of the Baker Hughes UK Coiled Tubing business early in 2023 and assumed operations from 4 April. We have successfully transitioned the business and have a dedicated Archer Coiled Tubing team of 50 experienced and skilled employees performing safe and efficient services in the UK.

“We look forward to continuing growing the Archer service offering in the UK and bringing value to our clients’ P&A, workover, and intervention programmes.”

Odfjell Technology, an integrated supplier of offshore drilling and well operations, and well service equipment including project and engineering services, has deployed its innovative rigless plug and abandonment (P&A) unit for a geothermal pilot project in Tromsø, Norway.

The downhole conditions for further testing and development of a underground heat storage concept were successfully established by using equipment and operational principles from the offshore oil and gas industry.

 In co-operation with Xrig and Halliburton, Odfjell Technology played a key role in the planning and execution of this project for Kvitebjørn Varme, the company operating the district heating facility in the city of Tromsø. The overall aim for the project was to progress an underground heat storage concept developed by Ruden AS, which won the innovation prize at ONS in 2022.

Creating a network of subsurface fractures between a centre injector well, along with surrounding production wells placed in a circle around the injector, was the purpose of the project. All wells had been pre-drilled down to 300 m depth and Odfjell Technology’s P&A unit was used to deploy a hydraulic stimulation assembly, sand jetting and fracturing the formation every 5-7 m from 270 to 70 m depth.

Following the establishment of fractures, significant flow communication was confirmed between the injector well and the various producers by performing an injection test, meaning ideal downhole conditions were achieved for further testing the Ruden AS heat storage concept.

With this fracture system in place, Kvitebjørn Varme can now use the excessive heat produced from its plant during summer to warm up water, continuously circulating hot water down the injector well, into the fracture network and up through the producer wells. Heat is then transferred from the hot water to the formation, heating up the rock over time. During winter, cold water will be circulated into the same heated fracture system, transferring the stored heat to the cold water. Hot water is then produced from the production wells, ready to be distributed directly into the district heating network.

Elisabeth Haram, Executive Vice President Well Services at Odfjell Technology, commented, “Odfjell Technology uses its heritage of 50 years in the oil and gas industry to play a leading role in the energy transition. This very exciting and strategically important pilot geothermal project clearly shows how our technology and experience can be applied across the energy mix, and what collaboration and competence sharing between the oil and gas industry leaders and new industry partners in the energy sector can achieve.

“Our full rigless P&A unit offering for offshore SR and P&A operations will launch in the next four to six months. We look forward to working with customers and partners to implement this at scale across the world.”

Expro has secured a new contract with Harbour Energy for a well abandonment campaign as part of the decommissioning project for the Balmoral area, in the UK Continental Shelf.

The contract, valued at more than US$20mn, will utilise Expro’s Subsea Well Access technology with a combination of open-water and in-riser applications deployed from a semi-submersible rig.

Expro’s ability to supply a lightweight open-water system will help to mitigate loading issues during the subsea well access intervention part of the overall abandonment campaign. The company’s open-water and in-riser bore selector technology, which eliminates the use of a dual bore riser for the entire abandonment campaign, is designed to deliver significantly reduced system deployment and retrieval times with lower maintenance costs.

To overcome key technical requirements from the customer, Expro devised an innovative technological solution based on a new build lightweight intervention system, incorporating its unique subsea ball valve technologies. Expro’s existing API 17G standard high debris ball valve was recently qualified to provide a single ball cut and seal on coil tubing. This ball valve technology will be re-packaged into bespoke open water riser housings to provide the lightweight solution required.

The solution developed for this award expands Expro’s subsea well access portfolio and allows Expro to now supply the client with all the subsea well access tooling required for the abandonment campaign on the Balmoral area, for horizontal and vertical Xmas Trees.

Colin Mackenzie, Expro’s Vice President of Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, commented, “We are proud to have secured this award by offering an innovative approach to meet the needs of this important customer. We believe that our leading-edge technology continues to deliver safe, reliable and environmentally secure subsea well access in support of major projects around the world. We are delighted to further extend the scope of our partnership on this campaign which reinforces our position as a key enabler within the plug and abandonment market.”

TechnipFMC has been awarded a significant contract by Equinor to provide riserless light well intervention (RLWI) services on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

The two-year contract (valued between US$75 and US$250mn as per TechnipFMC’s definition of significant) runs from 2024 to 2025, with options to extend for each of the three subsequent years. TechnipFMC will provide production enhancement, production data, and pre-plug-and-abandonment services to Equinor using the RLWI method.

RLWI enables well interventions from a monohull vessel, eliminating the need for a riser and the rig required to connect the riser to the subsea well. Instead, remotely operated Well Control Systems are used to facilitate operations on the seabed. This reduces cost and complexity, increases efficiency, and accelerates the timeframe for increased production.

Jonathan Landes, President, Subsea at TechnipFMC, commented, “TechnipFMC has been providing RLWI services to Equinor since 2006. Over that period, the average duration of an intervention has been reduced by nearly two-thirds thanks to improvements in process and technology, aided by the collaborative relationship with Equinor’s dedicated RLWI team. It is a pleasure to continue developing that relationship as we help our client meet demand for energy.”