The Kristin Field

Statoil’s Kristin project is well under way. The field is demanding in several ways, but the challenge is picked up buy another strong Statoil lady, Nina Udnes Tronstad. We are a team of experienced people, and are also able to draw on experience from the co-licenees at Kristin,’ Udnes Tronstad says.

The licensees at Kristin are: Statoil with 46.6 percent, Petoro with 18.9 percent, Norsk Hydro with 12 percent, ExxonMobil with 10.5 percent, Agip with 9 percent and TotalFinaElf with 3 percent.

‘Working together we are confident Kristin will be a success,’ Vice President E&P Haltenbanken West, Udnes Tronstad says. But she admits the scope of the job is unprecedented. ‘Developing a field in such deep water, with such high pressure and high temperature is groundbreaking. I know of no other similar project,’ she says.

Near Åsgard
Kristin is located in the south-west part of the Halten Bank. It is the largest of several discoveries made by the former Saga Petroleum company south and west of Statoil’s Åsgard development. Statoil took over as operator on 1 January 2000, following the acquisition of Saga by Statoil and Norsk Hydro. The PDO for the Kristin gas and condensate field was approved by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy on 17th December 2001.

‘We are planning to use a floating platform with a daily production capacity of 126,000 barrels of condensate and just over 18 million cubic metres of rich gas,’ Udnes Tronstad explains. ‘The reservoir will be drained through 12 subsea wells’. The Kristin reservoir lies almost 5,000 metres beneath the seabed. Pressure and temperature is at 900 bar and 170°C respectively.

‘That is double the pressure at Åsgard, which was a major challenge when it was planned,’ Udnes Tronstad says, putting Kristin into perspective.

Contracts
Kristin is scheduled to come on stream on 1 October 2005. The total investment for the development is estimated at NOK 17 billion.

The Aker Stord subsidiary of Aker Maritime was awarded the main contract for the platform. Worth approximately NOK 5 billion the assignment covers design and hook-up of the whole installation as well as construction of part of the topsides. According to Aker Maritime, implementation of the Kristin project will be made as efficient as possible by exploiting the opportunity to concentrate all construction and hook-up work at one site.

The platform contract covers design and procurement for the semi-submersible platform hull as well as the topsides, including the utilities, process and riser modules and the flare boom. Aker Stord will also fabricate the utilities and process modules as well as hooking up the whole topsides, including the remaining modules. Aker Stord is also responsible for mating topsides and hull.

Kværner Oilfield Products (KOP) was awarded a contract worth NOK 1 billion to build the subsea production systems for Kristin. In addition, a small engineering contract relating to the pipeline systems went to Reinertsen Engineering in Trondheim.

The KOP assignment is an EPC contract, covering the fabrication and assembly of four templates, wellheads with Xmas trees and control systems, umbilicals and associated installation equipment. The templates are due to be delivered first, for installation in the early summer of 2003.

Saipem has been awarded a contract for the installation of subsea templates, worth about NOK 30 million, while Baker Oil Tools will supply completion equipment worth around NOK 55 million.

More to Come
‘We are working on several more contracts during the spring,’ Udnes Tronstad says.

‘A contract will be entered into for the hire of a drilling rig during the spring. A further rig will be hired later. Other contracts remaining are the living quarters and pipelaying. Contracts will also be awarded for the construction of steel hull for the floating production platform on the field,’ she continues.

Following the major contract awards made by Statoil, a range of smaller sub-contracts will be tendered amongst medium and small companies of various kinds. Kristin as a project therefore gives a real boost to the contractor industry in Mid-Norway.