Statoil is targeting 20 MMbbl of additional resources in the Gullfaks area by tapping reservoirs above the main Gullfaks field.
Gullfaks was brought on stream in 1981, but the plan for development and operation (PDO) did not include the Shetland and Lista reservoirs, which sit above the main Gullfaks reservoir.
Statoil's PDO for the new phase of the Gullfaks field has been submitted for approval to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy by Norway's Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).
The NPD says test production has already been under way from Shetland and Lista for a few years.
According to the new plan, NOK1.8 billion will be invested in reusing existing wells on the Gullfaks field for production from Shetland/Lista.
Shetland/Lista was originally not considered to be a reservoir, but subsequent developments have shown that recoverable oil is present, says the NPD. These zones are under natural high pressure, which makes it challenging to drill wells on Gullfaks. Production from Shetland/Lista could thus make it easier to drill future wells on the Gullfaks field.
Extensive amounts of data will also be collected, which may provide a basis for subsequent phases of production from Shetland/Lista, for example through pressure support.