THE NORWEGIAN PETROLEUM SECTOR Cover: the First Oil Field in the North Sea, the Ekofisk Field, Started Production in 1971
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2014 2014 THE NORWEGIAN PETROLEUM SECTOR Cover: The first oil field in the North Sea, the Ekofisk field, started production in 1971. The field has been developed and expanded through- out the years. Old facilities have been removed and new ones installed in order to enable production for another 30–40 years. This picture shows the field as it emerges today, after three new facilities were installed in the summer of 2013 (Photo: Kjetil Alsvik/ConocoPhillips) New native apps for Android and Windows Phone are now available • All the fields • All the wells • All the production • All the operators • All the licenses • News, maps and more www.oilfacts.no 2014 THE NORWEGIAN PETROLEUM SECTOR What do you think about Facts 2014? Please send your comments to [email protected]. PB • FACTS 2014 Editor: Yngvild Tormodsgard, Ministry of Petroleum and Energy Design: Artdirector/Klas Jønsson Paper: Cover: Galerie art silk 250 g, Inside pages: Arctic silk 115 g Graphic production: 07 MEDIA Printing: 07 MEDIA Circulation: 13 500 New Norwegian / 12 000 English Publication number: Y-0103/15 E Cover: The Ekofisk Field in the North Sea (Photo : Kjetil Alsvik/ConocoPhillips) ISSN 1504-3398 4 • FACTS 2014 Tord Lien Minister of Petroleum and Energy Minister of Petroleum and Energy 2013 was yet another good year in the Norwegian petroleum sector. profitability of both projects and companies. The industry must take The activity level is high; the shelf is explored, resources discovered, action to control these costs. Succeeding with this will be crucial in fields developed and hydrocarbons produced and sold. Norwegian order to live up to the results from 2013. oil and gas is finding its way to customers all over the world. Norwegian petroleum activities have been the dominant domestic The objective of our petroleum policy is to generate the greatest industry for decades and have contributed to huge value creation, possible values from the resources on the Norwegian shelf in the a substantial number of jobs and wide-ranging effects in local best interest of the Norwegian society. This will require the best communities. efforts of everyone involved. Within a clear regulatory framework, we will work together in a smarter, more efficient and well organ- In other words, we have plenty of reasons to be proud. An effective, ised manner. We must develop knowledge, innovation and new well-founded regulatory framework stimulates the companies on technology. Then, and only then, will we be equipped for the future. the shelf to make decisions that maximize the value for the Norwe- gian society. Our service and supply industry is competitive, highly knowledgeable and in the forefront in many areas. We have an envi- ronmentally sound petroleum production, and our reputation as a stable, secure supplier of oil and gas to the markets is strong. Nevertheless, current realities do not allow us to ease our efforts. In order to generate the greatest possible values from our oil and gas resources, we must continue to improve. We must address future challenges in a serious manner. We will do so with a set of clear ground rules and continuous access to new, promising acreage. A predictable regulatory framework, including taxes and fees, contribute to sound resource management and facilitate both improved recovery from existing fields and development of smaller discoveries. The cost level on the Norwegian shelf has increased in recent years. In spite of new acreage and exciting discoveries, sectors of the Norwegian continental shelf are maturing. This puts pressure on the 4 • FACTS 2014 FACTS 2014 • 5 6 • FACTS 2014 CONTENT Minister’s Introduction 5 Emissions and discharges from the petroleum activities 47 Greenhouse gas emissions 48 1. Norway’s largest industry 9 Other emissions to air 49 Norwegian petroleum history 10 Operational discharges to sea 50 Current petroleum activities 12 Acute discharges 51 Significance to the Norwegian economy 12 The companies on the shelf 13 5. The service and supply industry 53 Production 13 Development and employment 54 Costs 14 Revenues 54 Deliveries throughout the value chain 55 2. The Norwegian continental shelf 15 International success 56 Areas on the Norwegian shelf 16 The southern North Sea 17 6. The future petroleum industry 57 The central North Sea 18 R&D in the oil and gas industry 58 The northern North Sea 19 PETROMAKS 2 58 The Norwegian Sea 21 DEMO 2000 58 The Barents Sea 21 PETROSENTER - Petroleum research centres 59 Petroleum resources 22 Other research programmes 59 Reserves 23 An industry geared towards the future 59 Contingent resources 23 Undiscovered resources 23 Appendix 61 The North Sea 23 Appendix 1: Historical statistics 62 The Norwegian Sea 23 Appendix 2: The petroleum resources 65 The Barents Sea 24 Appendix 3: Pipelines and onshore facilities 74 Appendix 4: Conversion factors 77 3. Framework and organisation 27 Legal framework 28 State organisation 29 The State’s revenues from petroleum activities 30 4. The Norwegian Petroleum Industry – from well to market 33 Exploration activity 34 Exploration policy in mature and frontier areas 34 Development and operation 38 Efficient production of petroleum resources 38 Improved recovery in mature areas 39 Improved recovery 39 Efficient operations 40 New discoveries – efficient utilisation of infrastructure 40 Decommissioning after production ends 42 The energy market 42 Price development 43 Oil 43 Natural gas 44 Gas exports from the Norwegian shelf 45 Organisation of the gas transport system 47 Regulated access to the transport system 47 6 • FACTS 2014 FACTS 2014 • 7 8 • FACTS 2014 NorwaY’S largest INDUSTRY 1 The Troll A platform has its foundation 303 meters below sea level. The natural gas produced at Troll A is sent to Kollsnes in Hordaland County for processing (Photo: Harald Pettersen, Statoil) PB • FACTS 2014 FACTS 2014 • 9 The petroleum activities have been key to the emergence of Norway’s 1965 on the basis of the equidistance principle. The first licensing current welfare state. Few believed the industry would have such an round was announced on 13 April 1965. 22 production licences immense impact on the Norwegian economy when the first pro- were awarded, covering 78 blocks. The first exploration well was duction licences were awarded in the mid-1960s. Fifty years later, the drilled in the summer of 1966, but turned out to be dry. activity level on the Norwegian shelf remains high, and the industry is The Norwegian oil era started with the discovery of Ekofisk in currently the largest and most important sector of our economy, 1969. Production from the field started on 15 June 1971, and several measured in value creation, State revenues and exports. This chapter large discoveries were made in the following years. In the 1970s, will provide an account of the incredible Norwegian petroleum exploration activities were concentrated in the North Sea. The area pioneers and what is currently happening on the Norwegian shelf. north of the 62nd parallel was opened for petroleum activity in 1979 and exploration was gradually initiated. Only a limited number of blocks were announced for each licensing round, and the most pro- Norwegian petroleum history mising areas were explored first. This led to world-class discoveries, and production from the Norwegian continental shelf has been About 50 years have passed since petroleum activities commen- dominated by these large fields. They were given names such as ced on the Norwegian shelf, and many of the early fields are still Ekofisk, Statfjord, Oseberg, Gullfaks and Troll. These fields have been, producing. The adventure started in the North Sea and has gradu- and are still, very important for the development of petroleum activi- ally moved north as the knowledge has increased. ties in Norway. Development of these large fields has also led to the establishment of infrastructure, enabling tie-in of a number of other At the end of the 1950s, few people imagined that the Norwegian fields. Production from several of the major fields is now in decline, continental shelf concealed a wealth of oil and gas. However, the and the trend is now development of and production from new, gas discovery in Groningen in the Netherlands in 1959 led to new- smaller fields. Current Norwegian petroleum production is therefore found optimism regarding the North Sea’s petroleum potential. divided among a larger number of fields than before. In October 1962, Philips Petroleum sent a letter to the Norwegian In the early days, the authorities chose a model where the petro- authorities requesting permission to explore for oil in the North Sea. leum activities were primarily carried out by foreign companies. They The company wanted a licence for the parts of the North Sea situa- dominated exploration activities and developed the first oil and gas ted on the Norwegian continental shelf. The offer was USD 160 000 fields. Norwegian participation gradually grew over time with the per month, and was regarded as an attempt to acquire exclusive addition of Norsk Hydro, Saga Petroleum. Statoil was established in rights. The Norwegian authorities refused to sign over the entire 1972 with the State as sole owner. A principle was also established to shelf to a single company. If the areas were to be opened for explora- give the State a 50 per cent ownership interest in each production tion, more than one company would be needed. licence. In 1993, this principle was changed so that an assessment is In May 1963, the Government proclaimed sovereignty over the made in each individual case as to whether there will be State partici- Norwegian continental shelf. A new act established that the State pation, and whether the ownership interest will be higher or lower. was the landowner, and that only the King (Government) could In 1999, Saga was acquired by Norsk Hydro, and Statoil was partially grant licences for exploration and production.