Norwegian oil and gas firm Statoil has unveiled a new subsea concept, known as Cap-X, to increase efficiency and reduce cost of horizontal drilling in shallow reservoirs.
The new subsea concept has been presented by Statoil technology, projects and drilling executive vice-president Margareth Øvrum at the Barents Sea Conference held in Hammerfest, Norway
vrum said: "Once again we aim to drive subsea technology development on the Norwegian continental shelf together with our industry partners.
"The potential for increased efficiency and reduced costs can make this the next standard within subsea templates."
Statoil said that the Cap-X concept marks a step ahead in realizing a "plug and play" solution on the seabed.
Statoil Norway and UK cluster exploration senior vice-president Jez Averty said: "We as explorers need to find resources that can be developed at a lower cost and with lower emissions.
"Cap-X can potentially have a significant impact on developing the resources in the Barents Sea and in other areas with shallow reservoirs."
Featuring existing and new technology, the Cap-X is just one-fourth the size of currently used subsea templates. It is designed to perform more operations from vessel instead of rig.
Statoil initiated the development of Cap X in 2013 in a bid to increase commerciality of potential resources in the Barents Sea.
Separately, Statoil is planning to start production at Askeladd gas reservoir in the Barents Sea by 2020.
The Askeladd reservoir will be tied into the Snoehvit field gas installations. The field currently produces gas through the Albatross and Snoehvit reservoirs, reported Reuters.
Image: Statoil’s Cap-X subsea concept demonstration. Photo: courtesy of Statoil.