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Production on the Norwegian continental shelf remained stable and higher than the forecast for the 3rd quarter of 2009. Oil production has declined somewhat, while gas production is rising. Drilling activity remains high and more exploration wells were drilled in the third quarter of this year than in the same period in 2008. Five new discoveries were made on the shelf in the third quarter, all of which are characterised as small.
Petroleum production
Production of oil declined from 2.11 million barrels per day in the third quarter of 2008 to 1.94 million barrels per day in the third quarter of the year. If condensate and natural gas liquids (NGL) are included, daily production of liquids fell from 2.38 to 2.28 million barrels.
Fig.1 Daily production of oil per month compared with last year and forecast from December
Fig.2 Daily production of liquid per month compared with last year
Gas production is increasing. In the third quarter of 2009, 22.69 billion standard cubic metres of gas were produced on the Norwegian shelf, compared with 19.87 billion standard cubic metres in the same period last year.
Fig.3 Gas production per month compared with last year
Total petroleum production from the Norwegian shelf in the third quarter of 2009 was 56.09 million cubic metres of oil equivalents. Production in the third quarter of 2008 was 54.65 million cubic metres of oil equivalents.
Discoveries
Five new discoveries were made on the shelf in the third quarter, all of which were small.
Three of the discoveries were made in the North Sea (end date for the well in parentheses):
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35/12-2, oil and gas, 6-30 million standard cubic metres recoverable oil equivalents. (8 July)
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16/1-12, oil, size not determined. (7 September)
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35/3-7 S, gas, 3-8 billion standard cubic metres recoverable, total together with earlier discoveries (18 September)
The last two discoveries were made in the Norwegian Sea
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6507/3-7, gas, 0.6-3 million standard cubic metres recoverable. (17 July)
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6407/2-5 S, oil and gas, 1-2 billion standard cubic metres gas and 2-5 million standard cubic metres oil recoverable (7 September)
Drilling activity
Sixteen exploration wells were completed on the Norwegian continental shelf in the third quarter of 2009, four more than in the same period last year. There were 19 mobile drilling facilities in action on the shelf in the third quarter of this year, compared with 21 in the same period last year.
In the third quarter of 2009, 29 development wells and four branch wells were spudded. In the same period in 2008, 33 development wells and eight branch wells were spudded.
Fig.4 Completed exploration wells drilled in 2008
and 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarter 2009 by area and type of well.
Many applicants in APA 2009
At the expiration of the application deadline for awards in predefined areas (APA) 2009 on the Norwegian continental shelf, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy had received applications from 44 companies. The Ministry plans to award new production licences in APA 2009 around the turn of the year 2009/2010.
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