StatoilHydro has been given the official greenlight for tens of millions of dollars of modifications at the Troll C semi-submersible platform in the North Sea off Norway.

The changes include the installation of a new, 438-tonne compressor module that’ll target oil wells facing declining natural pressure and water build up.

“The object of the modification is to facilitate production (from selected wells) against a lower separator pressure by using a test separator for this purpose,” safety officials said.

The oil company intends to boost overall recover rates and speed oil productionat the strategic oil and gas field. Apart from building the compressor module, a heavy load-out and installation are planned, and some production will be cut when the extra plant arrives.

Troll C produces 138,000 barrels of oil per day from the Troll Vest field via 115 of sub-sea production wells, good for the world’s largest sub-sea field.

StatoilHydro is joined at Troll C by state entity Petoro (56 percent), ConocoPhillips, Shell and Total.

Tags: ConocoPhillips, Petoro, Shell, StatoilHydro, Total