Oljedirektoratet

Regulations relating to materials and documentation in connection with surveys for and utilisation of subsea reservoirs on the continental shelf to store CO₂

Table of Contents

 

Regulations relating to materials and documentation in connection with surveys for and utilisation of subsea reservoirs on the continental shelf to store CO₂

(Regulations relating to documentation in connection with storage of CO2 on the shelf)

Legal basis: Laid down by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate on 13 December 2017 pursuant to Section 3 of Act No. 12 of 21 June 1963 relating to scientific research and exploration for and exploitation of subsea natural resources other than petroleum resources, cf. Sections 1-11, 2-6 and 11-23 of Regulation No. 1517 of 5 December 2014 relating to exploitation of subsea reservoirs on the continental shelf for storage and transport of CO₂ on the continental shelf, Section 10-18 of Act No. 72 of 29 November 1996 relating to petroleum activities, cf. Sections 46, 53 and 86 of Regulation No. 653 of 27 June 1997 relating to the Act relating to petroleum activities.

EEA references: EEA Agreement Annex XX Chapter III No. 21at (Directive 2009/31/EC)

 

Chapter 1
Introductory provisions

 

Section 1
Objective

These Regulations shall provide supplementary provisions concerning data acquisition and documentation in connection with surveys and exploration for subsea reservoirs for storage of CO2, and in connection with exploitation of subsea reservoirs on the continental shelf for storage of CO2. These Regulations shall also safeguard the consideration for third parties in connection with seismic data acquisition.

Section 2
Scope

These Regulations shall apply for data acquisition and documentation in connection with surveys and exploration for subsea reservoirs for storage of CO 2, and in connection with exploitation of subsea reservoirs on the continental shelf for storage of CO2.

Section 3
Definitions

These Regulations use the following definitions:

a) Appraisal well: well drilled to determine the extent and size of a subsea reservoir that has already been proven with a wildcat well,

b) Cuttings: rock fragments from the drilling process,

c) Drilling programme: description containing well/wellbore-specific information concerning planned drilling and well activity,

d) Well: hole drilled to prove or delineate a subsea reservoir and/or to inject CO 2 for storage purposes, or mapping or monitoring well parameters. There are several categories of wells. A well can consist of one or more wellbores and can have one or more termination points,

e) Well activity: facilitation and implementation of operations in connection with completion, data acquisition, monitoring, control, overhauling, modification and plugging of existing wells,

f) Wellbore: describes the well's location from one termination point to the wellhead,

g) Well target: the geological unit(s) the well will be drilled into (geological well target) and the wellbore's termination point; includes geographical coordinates and depth in metres (drilling operational well target),

h) Boat km: describes a seismic vessel's sailing distance

i) CDP km: refers to Common Depth Point. Describes the number of line kilometres of seismic data acquired and depends on the number of hydrophones and the number of signal sources used. If one hydrophone is used (2D seismic), this will correspond to boat km.

j) Formation test: test of an individual well's injection properties for no more than 10 flow days,

k) Injection well: well used to inject CO2,

l) Exploration well: well drilled to prove a subsea reservoir or acquire information to delineate a proven reservoir. Exploration well is a collective term for wildcat and appraisal wells,

m) Observation well: well used to observe injected CO2,

n) Prospect: a potential subsea reservoir,

o) Wildcat well: exploration well drilled to prove the existence of a subsea reservoir.

Definitions in Act No. 72 of 29 November 1996 relating to petroleum activities (the Petroleum Act), Regulation No. 653 of 27 June 1997 relating to the Act relating to petroleum activities (the Petroleum Regulations) and Regulation No. 1517 of 5 December 2014 relating to utilisation of subsea reservoirs on the continental shelf to store CO₂ and relating to transport of CO₂ on the continental shelf (Regulations relating to storage and transport of CO2 on the shelf) apply for these Regulations insofar as appropriate.

Section 4
Format and units of measurement

Format requirements for materials and documentation may be stipulated by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

Unless otherwise designated, geography shall be stated as geographical coordinates/coordinate pairs in the European Datum 1950 (EPSG:4230) DDMMSS format.

Materials and documentation submitted to, or otherwise made available to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, shall be clearly identified and shall state necessary technical information about quality and properties.

All documentation to the authorities shall use metric units according to the SI system.

Section 5
Responsibilities pursuant to these Regulations

Licensees and others who participate in activities subject to these Regulations are obliged to comply with the Regulations and administrative decisions made pursuant to the Regulations through implementation of necessary systematic measures.

Licensees are responsible for ensuring that everyone contracted to perform work, either personally, through employees or through contractors or subcontractors, complies with requirements stipulated in or pursuant to the safety and working environment legislation.

 

Chapter 2
Surveys

 

Section 6
Notification in connection with surveys

Licensees shall report surveys pursuant to one or more survey, exploration or exploitation licences to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, the Directorate of Fisheries, the Institute of Marine Research and the Ministry of Defence via the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's web-based reporting system for surveys. This also applies for route and other subsurface surveys.

The following information shall be reported no later than five weeks before the survey activity starts:

a) name of the survey,

b) which survey, exploration or exploitation licence(s) the survey is conducted pursuant to,

c) name of licensee,

d) which survey activities will be carried out,

e) name of the party conducting the survey,

f) planned start-up and completion time,

g) the survey's planned length, both boat km and CDP km to the extent this is relevant,

h) the survey area, including the area for necessary calibration and testing of equipment in connection with the survey activity, as well as the area required to turn the vessel,

i) number and type of signal sources and total chamber volume to the extent this is relevant,

j) description of how the geophysical sensors will be geometrically placed during the data acquisition, as well as the length of the tow,

k) name of vessel,

l) the vessels' call signs, IMO numbers (International Maritime Organization's identification system for vessels) and nationality,

m) potential port calls in Norwegian inland waters,

n) name of and contact information for fisheries expert,

o) format of acquired data,

p) ownership of data to be acquired,

q) estimate of data volume to be reported in number of terabytes,

r) assessment as to whether the survey activity may damage particularly vulnerable environmental resources.

At the earliest, the survey activity can start five weeks after it is reported pursuant to second paragraph litera f). When the survey starts, licensees shall report the start-up to the above-mentioned authorities via the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's web-based reporting system for surveys.

If the survey activity does not start up at the time reported pursuant to second paragraph litera f), the licensee shall, as soon as possible, send a notice of change concerning the start-up time to the above-mentioned authorities via the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's web-based reporting system for surveys.

If the survey activity is cancelled or temporarily suspended, the licensee shall, as soon as possible, report this to the above-mentioned authorities via the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's web-based reporting system for surveys.

If there is a desire to continue the survey activity beyond the reported completion time, the licensee must submit a new report concerning the survey as designated in second paragraph. In such instances, the deadline for submitting a new report will be ten business days before the originally reported completion time. The same applies correspondingly if there is a desire to change the reported survey area pursuant to second paragraph litera h).

The following information shall be reported weekly while the survey activity is under way:

a) name of the survey,

b) which survey, exploration or exploitation licence(s) the survey is conducted pursuant to,

c) name of licensee,

d) status of the activity, including number of kilometres of seismic data acquired, both in total and over the last week, both boat km and CDP km to the extent this is relevant,

e) information about planned activity during the upcoming week, including information about the acquisition area,

f) name of vessel, call sign and name of fisheries expert,

g) potential port calls in Norwegian inland waters.

The licensee shall submit a final report to the above-mentioned authorities via the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's web-based reporting system for surveys as soon as the survey is complete.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate can make exceptions from the deadlines designated above.

Section 7
Designation and classification of surveys

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate shall stipulate the designation and classification of surveys, including route and other subsurface surveys.

Section 8
Requirements for conducting seismic surveys

When seismic surveys are started, the audio source must be started up gradually to give fish and marine mammals the opportunity to leave the area around the survey.

Vessels conducting seismic surveys shall maintain a prudent distance to vessels engaged in fishery activities, as well as fixed and floating fishing gear. Particular caution shall be exercised when large groups of fishing vessels are observed.

If vessels conducting seismic surveys are assisted by an escort vessel, this must play a passive role in relation to other users of the sea.

Section 9
Requirement to have a fisheries expert on board vessels conducting seismic surveys

Vessels that conduct seismic surveys must have a fisheries expert on board when this is necessary out of consideration for fishery activities in the area. In the event of doubt, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate will make the final decision.

The licensee shall report the name of the fisheries expert for the survey no later than five business days before the seismic survey is scheduled to start. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate may grant exemptions from this deadline.

The fisheries expert should be present at the start-up meeting for the survey in order to provide information about anticipated fishery activity in the area of the seismic survey.

The fisheries expert shall play an advisory role for the survey within their specific discipline and shall be guaranteed a free and independent position. The role of fisheries expert shall be carried out objectively and impartially in the relationship between the principal and fisheries interests.

The licensee and/or the party responsible for operation of the vessel shall make relevant regulations, documents and data available to the fisheries expert. Regulations and documents shall be available in both Norwegian and English. Access to the Internet and other necessary aids for the fisheries expert must be facilitated.

Section 10
Position reporting in connection with seismic surveys

Vessels conducting seismic surveys shall have on board and use equipment that monitors and reports the vessel's position and movements. Switching off, damaging, destroying or otherwise manipulating the position reporting equipment during the survey activity is prohibited.

Position reporting equipment pursuant to this provision shall satisfy the requirements in Regulation No. 454 of 24 March 2010 relating to requirements for equipment and installation of position reporting equipment. Section 3 concerning requirements for the service provider that forwards tracking information applies correspondingly.

Vessels starting seismic surveys shall send an electronic notice to the Directorate of Fisheries' 24/7 monitoring centre (FMC), which is designated by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate as system operator, in order to activate the receipt of signals. The requirement for monitoring and registration starts when the audio sources are activated and last for the duration of the survey.

Vessels conducting seismic surveys shall, twice per hour, and for the duration of the activity, automatically report the vessel's position to the Directorate of Fisheries. The Directorate of Fisheries may acquire the position of the individual vessel more frequently than twice per hour, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's more detailed directions.

Position reporting shall contain the following information:

a) clear identification of the vessel,

b) the vessel's geographical position at the time of reporting with a position error of less than 500 metres with a confidence interval of 99%,

c) date and time for the vessel's position,

d) speed and course at the time of reporting,

e) identification of the type of report submitted.

Section 11
Requirements for fisheries experts on board vessels conducting seismic surveys

Those serving as fisheries expert must have completed and passed a test for an approved course. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate shall stipulate the professional content, time and location of such courses and shall issue a course certificate. A fee may be required for participation in the course.

Those participating in the course must be proficient in Norwegian and English and must be able to document that they, over the course of the last five years, have been active fishermen for at least twelve consecutive months. One must also document knowledge about fishery activities in the waters where the seismic vessel will be operating, differentiated as south of 62 degrees north, between 62–67 degrees north and north of 67 degrees north. The persons in question must, as a minimum, hold a navigation certificate as a class B or D 5 fishing boat skipper without restrictions. A minimum of 1 year of experience as skipper/first officer is also required.

The fisheries expert must, every five years after passing the course, be able to document that, over the last five years, he/she has been an active fisher and/or fisheries expert for at least twelve consecutive months.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has an overview of people who have passed the course and issues verifications of the right to practice as fisheries expert. This verification is valid for five years and must then be renewed. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate can decide that those who do not fulfil the activity obligation as active fisherman and/or fisheries expert or otherwise do not fulfil their obligations as fisheries expert, may lose their right to practice as fisheries expert.

The fisheries expert is obliged to familiarise himself/herself with the content of the survey, exploration or exploitation licence(s) and notice of the survey pursuant to Section 6 of these Regulations. The manual of information for the fisheries expert shall be stipulated by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and shall be available during each assignment.

Section 12
Route surveys and other subsurface surveys

Route surveys and other subsurface surveys shall be conducted pursuant to Section 1-11 of the Regulations relating to storage and transport of CO2 on the shelf and Section 30 of the Petroleum Regulations, and shall be reported through the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's web-based reporting system for surveys.

The requirement to send information does not apply for mapping using hull-mounted or ROV-installed equipment, such as e.g. cameras, video cameras, multibeam echo sounders, penetrating echo sounders, sonars/side-scan sonars and acoustic/electro-magnetic tube detectors.

Before route surveys are started, the licensee shall submit maps to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate showing the planned route and any prospective areas. The scale and geographical coordinates shall be stated.

The provisions in Section 6 also apply when seismic data acquisition is conducted in connection with route and other subsurface surveys.

 

Chapter 3
Drilling and well activity, etc.

 

Section 13
Naming and classification of wells, wellbores and shallow drilling

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate shall stipulate the names and classification of wells, wellbores and shallow drilling.

The licensee shall, no later than two weeks before the projected start of drilling, acquire registration numbers and names for each individual well or wellbore. Registration numbers are acquired by submitting a specific registration form. Along with the drilling programme, the form shall provide satisfactory information about the well, planned data acquisition and objective of the well.

The same applies correspondingly for shallow drilling deeper than 25 metres. This applies for all shallow drilling, whether it is conducted pursuant to a survey licence, exploration licence, exploitation licence, or licence to install and operate facilities for transport of CO2.

If there is a need for reclassification, the licensee shall, well before the change in use, submit information to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, which will determine the new classification.

Section 14
Drilling programme

The licensee shall make the drilling programme available to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate when the form for registration of wells and wellbores is submitted.

The drilling programme shall provide relevant information about technical geological and reservoir conditions.

Section 15
Permit for exploration drilling

Exploration drilling requires a permit from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. The licensee shall submit an application for a permit for exploration drilling to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate on the form for registration of wells and wellbores.

The permit must be acquired for the individual well or wellbore before drilling activity commences, including facilitation of drilling operations.

The drilling programme shall be made available to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate no later than when the application is submitted.

 

Section 16
Technical geological and reservoir data acquisition in connection with drilling and well activity

The licensee shall ensure that necessary drill cuttings samples, conventional cores, sidewall cores, liquid and gas samples, logs and test data are collected. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate may stipulate requirements for data acquisition, processing and analyses in individual instances.

Unless otherwise specified, the standard requirement from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate is as follows:

a) in wildcat wells, drill cuttings samples shall be taken from types of rock from all geological formations drilled. The sampling shall start immediately once return of drilling fluid has been established,

b) in appraisal wells and a representative selection of injection wells, drill cuttings samples shall be taken from all types of rock from all geological formations in the reservoir interval,

c) the distance between drill cuttings samples should not exceed 10 metres,

d) in wildcat wells, at least one conventional core shall be taken in all reservoir intervals,

e) in selected appraisal wells and injection wells, conventional cores shall be taken from the entire reservoir interval,

f) sidewall cores shall be taken to the extent that this is necessary,

g) in connection with formation strength testing and formation test logging, fluid samples shall be taken,

h) necessary well logs shall be taken in all wells/wellbores,

i) in exploration wells, formation test logs should be taken which establish the pressure gradient and types of fluids in a formation, as well as the formation's ability to store CO2.

Section 17
Information about formation test

The licensee shall send information about formation tests for exploration wells to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate well before start-up; no later than three days before the test activity starts. The same applies correspondingly for injection wells before a storage location becomes operational.

Section 18
Reporting during drilling and well activity

The licensee shall report drilling and well activities daily.

Ongoing activities shall be reported to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's drilling database, DDRS. Reporting shall take place according to the format and in the manner described in the DDRS user guide. New activities shall be reported throughout the lifetime of the well.

Section 19
Designation of subsea reservoirs

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate shall stipulate the names of subsea reservoirs. A subsea reservoir is named using the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's well identification for the discovery well, followed by a hyphen and the word "reservoir". If there are multiple subsea reservoirs in the same well, the geological unit shall be stated as supplementary information

Section 20
Designation of permanently placed facilities

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate shall stipulate the names of permanently placed facilities. Permanently placed facilities shall be named using their quadrant/block number and letters from A to Z, with the exception of U and T, for each storage location/block. AA, AB, etc. can be used if needed.

Section 21
Information about permanent plugging of wells

Licensees shall send information about permanent plugging of wells to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

Section 22
Information about material changes

Licensees shall inform the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate as soon as possible about material changes that have occurred following submission of documentation pursuant to Chapter 3.

 

Chapter 4
Submitting materials and documentation

 

Section 23
Submitting materials and documentation from surveys

The licensee shall, as soon as possible, free of charge and no later than three months following the completion of the individual survey activity, submit the following materials and documentation from the activity to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, or the party the directorate appoints to manage the data.

a) seismic field data with the necessary navigational data,

b) processed seismic data, velocity data and navigational data,

c) processed gravimetric, magnetic and electro magnetic data, with associated navigational data,

d) analysis results, maps and profiles that show the results of other geophysical or geological surveys such as heat flow measurements, radiometric measurements, samples, etc.

The obligation to submit materials and documentation pursuant to first paragraph includes all data that is a natural part of the processing sequence and which is stored and distributed to the licensee. If, following routine processing, the data processed further, e.g. in the event of special processing, re-processing or collation with other data, the result from this work shall be submitted to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate at the same time it becomes available to the licensee, regardless of whether this is shared with the other licensees.

In addition to the data mentioned above, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate may demand submission of other data and results in the format determined by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

Section 24
Logbook for fisheries expert

The fisheries expert shall keep a separate logbook for each survey and according to the set template for the time he/she is on board the seismic vessel. Once the survey is complete, the logbook shall be stored by the licensee for two years. Within two weeks of survey completion, a copy of the logbook shall be submitted to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, the Directorate of Fisheries and the Directorate of Fisheries' regional office in the relevant area.

Section 25
Geo-technical materials and documentation from exploration licences and exploitation licences in the event of relinquishment, surrender, lapse and expiry

The licensee shall submit a status report to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate within three months after an exploration or exploitation licence is surrendered, lapses or expires. The status report shall summarise any acquired data, completed studies and results thereof, as well as an overview of potential prospects in the licence. The status report shall provide an overview of all geo-technical materials and where they are stored, along with information about storage format.

The licensee shall also, free of charge, submit all significant geo-technical materials and documentation from the area relinquished through surrender, lapse or expiry of an exploration or exploitation licence, if this has not previously been submitted to the authorities. The same applies correspondingly in the event that parts of the area in a licence are relinquished.

Section 26
Transferring rights to data

If rights to data have been transferred to others, this shall be reported to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate immediately on the established form.

Section 27
Submitting samples and preparations from wells

The licensee shall, free of charge, submit samples, preparations and other materials from the individual well/wellbore to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Acquired materials shall be submitted to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate as soon as possible and no later than six months after drilling of the well is complete. Unless otherwise agreed, the standard quantities are as stated below.

The following applies as regards drill cuttings:

a) from wildcat wells, drill cuttings samples shall be submitted for all types of rock in all geological formations where samples are collected,

b) from appraisal wells and the first injection well at the storage location, drill cuttings samples shall be submitted from the entire reservoir interval. If drilling is subsequently conducted in formations not encompassed by the first injection well, drill cuttings samples shall be submitted from the entire reservoir interval in these wells,

c) unwashed drill cuttings samples shall be submitted with at least 1 kg of dried material from each sampling interval. Unwashed drill cuttings samples shall be dried at 40°C or lower. If the volume of drill cuttings samples is limited, at least half of collected drill cuttings samples shall be submitted, limited to a maximum of 1 kg,

d) washed drill cuttings samples shall be submitted with one rig set.

The following applies as regards cores:

a) from exploration wells, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate shall receive a complete longitudinal section of collected conventional cores with one quarter core. If the core diameter is less than 7.6 cm (3 inches), the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate shall receive at least half of the core,

b) from the first injection well cored at a storage location, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate shall receive a full longitudinal section of collected conventional cores with one half core. If cores are subsequently taken in formations not previously cored, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate shall receive cores from these wells as well,

c) if there is a need for special core analyses, the licensee may apply to retain certain core intervals as full-diameter cores. When such analyses are carried out, the result shall be reported to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Half of the residual materials shall be submitted to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate,

d) digital colour photographs of the cores shall be submitted along with the conventional cores. The photographs shall be taken immediately after splitting, and must the wellbore name, core number, depth, orientation and scale.

The following applies for fluid samples from formation strength testing and formation test logging:

a) 2 x 0.5 litres of formation water from each interval/set of intervals tested. If a test yields less than 2 x 0.5 litres, a lesser volume may be submitted,

b) as regards all types of tests, the fluid sample shall be taken in normal ambient conditions on the surface, i.e. approx. 101.3 kPa (1 atm) and 20°C. This entails that the lightest components evaporate, but in general, the sampling shall be carried out in a manner which ensures that the sample is as representative of the formation fluid as possible.

c) standard sample bottles shall be used and filled up to a maximum of approx. 85% of the bottle's total volume.

The following applies for palynological preparations:

a) duplicates shall be submitted of palynological preparations from drill cuttings, sidewall cores and conventional cores,

b) the content of the preparations shall be representative of the sample,

c) preparations shall be prepared with a permanent mounting medium.

The following applies for petrographic thin sections:

Duplicates of petrographic thin sections shall be submitted.

The following applies for the format, packaging and labelling of samples submitted:

a) all samples shall be labelled in a clear and water resistant manner with the name of the licensee (operator), date of sampling, name of the sample taker, name of the well and the depth, potentially the depth interval, they were taken from,

b) samples from formation tests and formation test logging shall also be labelled with test number, type of test, flow period and type of fluid,

c) fluid samples shall be submitted in 0.6-0.7-litre aluminium bottles with screw cap and gasket (standard sample bottle),

d) drill cuttings samples shall be packed in airtight bags of good quality, or in high-density polyethylene bottles (HDPE bottles). Each individual sample must be clearly and properly labelled. HDPE bottles shall be used for unwashed samples from intervals with oil-based drilling fluid. The packaged samples shall be delivered in boxes with the following external measurements: height 14 cm, width 27 cm, length 90-110 cm,

e) conventional cores shall be delivered in solid, rigid boxes, with the following external measurements: height 10 cm, width 40 cm, length 90-110 cm.

Section 28
Final reporting of geo-technical and reservoir well data

The licensee shall submit a geo-technical and reservoir-technical final report for each well/wellbore to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate no later than six months after the individual drilling and well activity is complete.

In addition to all well data in digital format, the reporting shall contain an overview of all collected data and analyses, as well as factors that may affect the measurement results.

Section 29
Descriptions, analyses and interpretations of well data

The licensee shall make all descriptions and analyses of well data available to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate on a continuous basis. This also applies when interpretation or other updates are carried out.

Section 30
Status report before injection and storage of CO2 starts

The licensee shall, when applications are submitted for consent for injection and storage of CO2 pursuant to Section 5-2 of the Regulations relating to storage and transport of CO2 on the shelf, or Section 30e of the Petroleum Regulations, submit a status report to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. This status report shall describe changes after the Plan for Development and Operation of subsea reservoirs for injection and storage of CO2 is approved or after an exemption is granted for such plans. This includes measures, data basis, interpretations, etc. of importance for injection and storage at the storage location.

Section 31
Notification and reporting

Notification and reporting to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate shall take place pursuant to Section 11-17 of the Regulations relating to storage and transport of CO2 on the shelf, or Section 79a of the Petroleum Regulations. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate may also request reporting when this is deemed to be necessary.

 

Chapter 5
General provisions

 

Section 32
Regulatory authority

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate carries out supervision of compliance with the provisions laid down in these Regulations or decisions made on the basis thereof, to ensure compliance by all relevant parties.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate can make the administrative decisions necessary to implement provisions laid down in these Regulations.

Section 33
Exemptions

In special instances, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate can grant exemptions from provisions laid down in these Regulations.

Section 34.
Entry into force, etc.

This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January 2018.

 

Notes on the Regulations relating to materials and documentation in connection with surveys for and utilisation of subsea reservoirs on the continental shelf to store CO₂

 

Re Chapter 1
Introductory provisions

 

Re Section 1
Objective

It is presumed that materials and information are submitted or made directly available to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate or the party designated by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, cf. Section 11-7 of the Regulations relating to storage and transport of CO2 on the shelf and Section 10-4 of the Petroleum Act. All materials and documentation must be submitted pursuant to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's format requirements, guidelines and specifications. These can be found on the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's website, http://www.npd.no.

Re Section 2
Scope

This provision clarifies that the Regulations apply both for storage of CO2 as part of the petroleum activities and for storage of CO2 outside petroleum activities.

Re Section 4
Format and units of measurement

Clear identification e.g. means using the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's unique identification codes (NPID), designations for subsea reservoirs and wells.

Re Section 5
Responsibilities pursuant to these Regulations

This provision must be read in the context of Section 11-8 of the Regulations relating to storage and transport of CO2 on the shelf concerning the duty to comply with the regulation and to ensure that provisions are adhered to, Section 10-6 of the Petroleum Act concerning the duty to comply with the Act and to ensure that provisions are adhered to, as well as Sections 56, 57 and 58 of the Petroleum Regulations concerning management systems. It is specified that first paragraph entails a material obligation to comply with provisions of the Regulations, as well as a duty to do this through implementation of necessary systematic measures.

 

Re Chapter 2
Surveys

 

The provisions concerning survey activity in these Regulations must be read in the context of provisions laid down in Chapter 2 of the Regulations relating to storage and transport of CO2 on the shelf, Chapter 2 of the Petroleum Act, as well as Chapter 2 of the Petroleum Regulations.

Applications for and payment of fees for survey licences and payment of fees for each individual seismic survey are sent to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, cf. Section 2-5 of the Regulations relating to storage and transport of CO2 on the shelf and Sections 3, 5 and 9 of the Petroleum Regulations.

The provisions in this Chapter apply for survey activity under a survey licence, exploration licence, exploitation licence and special licence for installation and operation of facilities.

If the survey entails drilling deeper than 200 metres, one must, in addition to registering the borehole with the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, also obtain consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway, cf. Section 25 of Regulation No. 611 of 29 April 2010 relating to management and the duty to provide information in the petroleum activities and at certain onshore facilities (the Management Regulations).

Testing of equipment is not governed by the Regulations.

Re Section 6
Notification in connection with surveys

This provision expands upon Section 2-6 of the Regulations relating to storage and transport of CO2 on the shelf and Section 6 of the Petroleum Regulation as regards the information that shall be submitted in connection with survey activity.

The requirement to report the names of vessels applies for all vessels involved in the survey.

Survey activity which includes a seismic survey is considered to start when the source is activated.

In the event of reports of temporary suspension pursuant to fifth paragraph, a new reporting will not be required pursuant to second paragraph litera f) unless the temporary suspension entails that the survey will extend beyond the previously reported period. A notice of temporary suspension is not required for brief changes in position.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's interactive reporting system for surveys can be found on the NPD's website, http://www.npd.no.

Re Section 8
Requirements for conducting seismic surveys

Gradual start-up of the sound source (soft start) entails that the sound source starts at low output and gradually increases until full output is achieved (usually over the course of 20 minutes).

Section 2-6 of the Regulations relating to storage and transport of CO2 on the shelf and Section 6 of the Petroleum Regulations contain provisions aiming to prevent potential conflicts of interest. If there is no fishery activity in the relevant area during the period in question, the seismic vessel may start the activity. As long as the vessel has the cables deployed, it is considered to be a vessel with "limited ability to manoeuvre", cf. Rule 3 litera g) in Regulation No. 5 of 1 December 1975 relating to prevention of collisions at sea (Rules of the Road at Sea). Should fishing vessels appear in such situations, they will have to yield the right of way vis-à-vis seismic vessels pursuant to Rule 18 litera c) of the Rules of the Road at Sea. Pursuant to the so-called lex specialis principle, the Rules of the Road at Sea supersede the general right of way provision in Section 8 of these Regulations concerning the obligation for the seismic vessel to maintain a prudent distance to vessels engaged in fishing.

Re Section 9
Requirement to have a fisheries expert on board vessels conducting seismic surveys

Pursuant to the provision, "relevant regulations, documents and data shall be made available to the fisheries expert". This also includes the licensee's survey, exploration or exploitation licence, and any decisions made in connection with the specific survey, including terms and conditions and advice provided in connection with the activity.

Re Section 10
Position reporting in connection with seismic surveys

The Directorate of Fisheries' 24/7 Fisheries Monitoring Centre (FMC), is the contact point for technical and practical information about installation and use of position reporting equipment.

Re Section 11
Requirements for fisheries experts on board vessels conducting seismic surveys

Changed certificate requirements will apply for participation in courses as from the date when the regulatory provision becomes effective.

Re Section 12
Route surveys and other subsurface surveys

The provision supplements the information requirements stipulated in Section 1-11 of the Regulations relating to storage and transportation of CO2 on the shelf and Section 30 of the Petroleum Regulations.

 

Re Chapter 3
Drilling and well activity, etc.

 

Re Section 13
Naming and classification of wells, wellbores and shallow drilling

The registration form can be found on the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's website, http://www.npd.no

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's systems for well/wellbore names and classification are provided in separate topical guidelines and can be found on the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's website.

Re Section 14
Drilling programme

Reference is made to NORSOK standard D-010 Drilling and well operations, revision 4 for geo-technical content in drilling programmes.

Re Section 17
Information about formation test 

The information about formation test should include the following:

  • The purpose of and how the test will take place,
  • Assessment of environmental consequences,
  • Planned extraction and analysis of formation fluid,
  • Preliminary log evaluation (Computer Processed Interpretations (CPI)) in measured depth (MD) and true vertical depth (TVD) from the reservoir in scale 1:500.

Re Section 20
Designation of permanently placed facilities

Permanently placed facilities means both facilities resting on the seabed and permanently placed mobile facilities.

These Regulations' provision concerning designation of permanently placed facilities has a different purpose than Section 71 of the Regulations relating to design and outfitting of facilities, etc. in the petroleum activities (the Facilities Regulations), Marking of facilities. Section 71 of the Facilities Regulations governs the design of identity boards on the facilities, which shall provide detailed information to seafarers in the area and shall normally include the field name, in addition to the facility name.

Re Section 21
Information about permanent plugging of wells

The deadline for submitting information is one day, but nevertheless as soon as possible. The deadline will primarily be relevant for exploration wells, as information about plugging of injection wells can normally be reported earlier.

 

Re Chapter 4
Submitting materials and documentation

 

Re Section 23
Submitting materials and documentation from surveys

This provision expands upon the provisions in Section 2-6 of the Regulations relating to storage and transport of CO2 on the shelf.

All materials and information must be submitted pursuant to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's format requirements and specifications. These can be found on the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's website, http://www.npd.no.

Materials and information discussed in first paragraph literas a) through d) of this provision must be submitted to the Diskos database pursuant to the topical guidelines; Guidelines for reporting geophysical data ("yellow book") and Guidelines for digital reporting for wells ("blue book").

All materials and information that are sent to the Diskos database must be clearly marked, so that it is evident that this was submitted in accordance with requirements stipulated by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

Materials and information discussed in this provision, first paragraph litera d), must be submitted to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

Upon application, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate may grant exemption from the routine data reporting requirements, cf. Section 33 of these Regulations. A potential exemption from the reporting duty will be contingent upon field data and pre-stack-data being satisfactorily stored and easily accesible for everyone who wants access to the data, and that they originate from saleable surveys. Should the conditions that the exemption is based on no longer be in place, we will require submission of the data.

Saleable data will be data that is only acquired with the purpose of making the data available for sale to a third party. It is a precondition that the data must be saleable from the time they are available to the owner. In turn, this means that the data must be available to everyone at market prices from when they are available to the owner and prepared for use. Data collected for internal use in one or more exploration or exploitation licenses is not considered "saleable".

Licensees that normally do not conduct surveys with the objective of reselling the data, must document their basis for requesting that a survey be classified as saleable alongside reporting of data pursuant to Section 2-6 eight paragraph of the Regulations relating to storage and transport of CO2 on the shelf, cf. last subsection.

Re Section 27
Submitting samples and preparations from wells

This provision must be read in the context of Section 16 of these Regulations concerning technical geological and reservoir data acquisition in connection with drilling and well activity.

All sample depths shall be stated as measured depth in relation to the drill floor/rotary table (RKB). As regards fluid samples taken as downhole pressure samples, the date and name of the sample-taker shall be stated for both the pressure sample taken at the drilling facility and for subsequent opening of/sampling from the pressure sample in the laboratory. Depth intervals for fluid samples are the same as the perforation intervals. Standard sample bottles for fluid samples can be procured from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

A rig set means 10 - 20 grams of all drill cuttings samples in a well/wellbore. The samples shall be washed and dried on the rig.

Re Section 28
Final reporting of geo-technical and reservoir well data

An evaluation report for exploration wells where a subsea reservoir is proven shall be submitted to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. A final geo-technical and reservoir-technical report, as well as the digital data mentioned in this provision, shall be submitted to the Diskos database for all types of wells, along with reports on biostratigraphy, geochemistry and other special studies.

All well depths shall be stated in relation to the drill floor/rotary table (RKB) and the logs shall be stated in measured depth (MD) and true vertical depth (TVD). Include information that makes it possible to convert from measured depth to vertical depth, as well as the geometry of the wellbore.

The following is an outline of the normal content of the reports:

Well Geological Completion - Final well report

a) general information, the well's geographical location, purpose and result, as well as final drilling programme,

b) a brief summary of the actual drilling process,

c) lithostratigraphic description,

d) overview of logs, core intervals and fluid samples,

e) description of conventional cores and sidewall cores,

f) results from any testing,

g) as regards exploration wells: updated prospect map,

h) overview of type of drilling mud, commercial name, producer, base (oil/water), additives, as well as an evaluation of the drilling mud's potential impact on collected data,

i) digital format of all geo-technical and reservoir-technical data, where the data type and format adheres to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's guidelines for digital reporting of well data, including a composite log with interpreted formation tops in depth and time, a pressure evaluation log and a formation evaluation log,

j) temperature logs shall be stated with measured and corrected values, as well as all relevant data to determine local geothermal gradients in a well at thermal equilibrium,

k) biostratigraphic range charts (table showing the occurrence of fossils in relation to sample depth) in digital form shall be enclosed with the biostratigraphy report. The preferred file formats are StrataBugs or S.I.S. (Stratigraphic Information System).

Evaluation report for proven subsea reservoir (Reservoir Evaluation Report)

a) results of collected data from test activity. The report should contain relevant test data such as Pi (initial reservoir pressure) PIi (initial productivity index), S (skin factor), permeability, any fluid contacts, effects as a result of stimulation and assessments of formation strength,

b) overview of fluid samples with test intervals, test numbers, test type, as well as an assessment as to whether the samples are representative of the tested formations,

c) geo-technical and reservoir-technical results, including
description of method of petrophysical analysis
reservoir-geological update, including updated seismic velocity functions
updated depth maps of structures in the event of significant deviations from the prognosis
results from PVT analyses,

d) results from core analyses,

e) size of subsea reservoir with projections in P10, P50 and P90, to the extent possible,

f) outline of subsea reservoir in shape file format based on P50 (mean).

Re Section 30
Status report before injection and storage of CO2 starts

The report shall provide the authorities with a status update on storage conditions at the time of start-up with emphasis on changes in basic data and any measures in relation to the original plans. The report shall also provide a basis for assessing the future injection schedule for the storage location.

 

Last translated 2 January 2018.  
 

 

Info
English version is not necessarily updated according to recent changes at any time.

Updated: 18/12/2018