Centrica unveils Oda plan, first oil for 2019

Centrica is planning a US$637 million subsea tieback development of its 48 MMboe recoverable Oda field in the Norwegian North Sea.

Oda, previously called Butch, was discovered in 2011, in 65m water depth about 250km southwest of Stavanger and 13km east of the Ula field, in to which it will be tied back. First oil is planned for Q3 2019, with peak production is expected at about 35,000 boe/d. 

Costs on the development, which will be the firm's first as an operator, have been reduced by more than 40% over the last couple of years. 

Oda is a Norse women’s name and means wealth or property.

Centrica says the subsea tie-in is an innovative solution, which involves reusing the Oselvar infrastructure on the Ula platform as well as using gas and water produced from Oda to improve recovery from Ula. Production from Oselvar will cease in order to allow Oda production to start and the Oselvar owners will be compensated accordingly, says Oda partner Faroe Petroleum (which made the Butch discovery), which also has a 55% stake in Oselvar.

Oda, which sits 2900m below the sea surface, will be developed with a four-slot seabed template, with two producing wells and one water injection well, tied-in to the Ula platform. From there, the oil will be exported to Ekofisk and onward via Norpipe to the Teesside terminal in the UK. 

“We have developed one of the most robust projects on the Norwegian Shelf,” said Dag Omre, General Manager of Centrica in Norway, announcing that the Plan for Development and Operation had been submitted. “Times are challenging in the oil and gas sector, and it is therefore very satisfying to deliver a plan for development and operation that will generate increased activity in the industry. Oda will contribute about 5500 jobs over the field’s lifetime, and we expect to award several contracts soon.”

Centrica is operator and holds 40% interest in Oda, with partners Suncor Energy Norge (30%), Faroe Petroleum (15%) and Tullow Oil Norge (15%).

“It is positive that the licensees in Oda, through excellent cooperation, have chosen a development solution that contributes to cost-efficient utilization of infrastructure in the area and available process capacity on Ula,” says Tove Francke, assistant director for development and operations in the southern North Sea, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

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Video: Butch drilling used open water coiled tubing

Breaking ground on Butch

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