The Tommeliten A field primarily consists of gas and condensate, and holds the potential to yield approximately 24 million standard cubic metres (equivalent to 150 million barrels) of oil
Illustration of gas and condensate field Tommeliten A. (Credit: Conoco Phillips/ Norwegian Petroleum Directorate)
The regulatory authorities have given their approval for the commencement of operations at the Tommeliten A field located in the North Sea.
ConocoPhillips, the operator, anticipates that Tommeliten A holds the potential to yield approximately 24 million standard cubic metres (equivalent to 150 million barrels) of oil. The estimated investment required for the development of Tommeliten A stands at approximately NOK13bn ($1.18bn).
ConocoPhillips is optimistic about the field becoming operational this month. It’s worth noting that the Plan for Development and Operation (PDO) received approval in 2022, despite the initial discovery of the field dating back to as early as 1977.
The Tommeliten A field primarily consists of gas and condensate and is situated within production license 044. It’s classified as a transboundary field, with a relatively small portion extending onto the UK continental shelf. Both Norwegian and UK licence holders have cooperatively managed the development of this field. Tommeliten A, a gas and condensate field, is located to the southwest of the Ekofisk field in the southern region of the Norwegian sector.
The development of Tommeliten A adopts a subsea approach and incorporates two subsea templates, providing sufficient space for up to twelve wells. The extracted wellstream will be directed to the Ekofisk field for further processing and eventual export. Gas produced will be transported to Emden, Germany, while oil and wet gas will be conveyed through pipelines to Teesside, UK.
Tommeliten A is set to feature a total of eleven development wells, with seven of them being fully operational at the time of start-up. The operator’s plan is to finish the construction of the remaining four wells within the first quarter of 2024. Additionally, one of the twelve well slots will be kept in reserve, potentially serving as a future replacement well when needed.
Norwegian Petroleum Directorate Licence Management assistant director Tomas Mørch said: “The Tommeliten A development is a good example of sound utilisation of existing infrastructure in the area.
“It’s gratifying to see that an older discovery from 1977 has now been matured into a profitable and robust field development that’s ready to come on stream. It’s also gratifying that the project has been completed ahead of schedule and within the cost framework.”
“We also note that the same type of subsea technology used on Tommeliten A could potentially be applied for other development projects in the area.”
In the past, there were several attempts to advance the development of Tommeliten A, but they faced various challenges. One significant obstacle encountered was the limited processing capacity available on the Ekofisk platform. However, it’s worth noting that this issue has now been successfully resolved, and processing capacity is no longer a hindrance to the project’s progress.