The minister got the honor of filling the barrel, which was decorated in golden color for the occasion.

“The spin-offs created by Statfjord can hardly be exaggerated. Generating more than NOK 1500 billion (US$181 billion) in revenues and 200,000 direct and indirect man-years since the 1970s, the field has been of great importance to the Norwegian society,” said Arne Sigve Nylund, Statoil’s executive vice president for development and production Norway. He took part in the celebration on Statfjord A.

Statfjord has been on stream for more than a generation, and Statoil and its partners still have a horizon until 2025 for the field. Originally the partnership hoped to recover 40% of the oil in place, according to the company’s press release. The result so far is record-high 67%.

“On this is a historic day we take a retrospective view. This, however, is also a story about the future, describing how knowledge, skills and experience acquired through many years across the oil industry are harnessed to create ever more values and new activity. Statfjord was supposed to be shut down more than ten years ago. Instead technology development, smart solutions and clever decisions have extended the productive life and increased the level of activity. This is characteristic of Norwegian oil history and something we will build on in Statfjord’s next chapter and on the NCS for many decades to come,” Nylund says.

Statoil

Source: Statoil (Photo: Harald Pettersen)

Increased production for the fourth consecutive year

Thanks to active subsurface work, efficient drilling and well operations, and well operated installations, Statfjord this year successfully increases production for the fourth consecutive year. 451 wells have been drilled on the field, and more than 40 years after the field was discovered new profitable wells are still being drilled.

At Statfjord the drilling costs have been reduced by 50%. Overall more than one million meters have been drilled at Statfjord, roughly corresponding to a round trip from Oslo to Stavanger.

Both oil and gas

Statfjord is still producing oil, the decision was made to turn the field into a gas resource in 2005. Through the Statfjord Late Life project the field was converted from an oil field to a gas field by reducing the reservoir pressure.

Statoil

Source: Statoil. Minister of petroleum and energy Tord Lien celebrating with Statfjord employees. (Photo: Ole Jørgen Bratland)

NOK 23 billion (US$2.8 billion) was invested, and production was maintained during the conversion process. The work included the drilling of 70 new wells and extensive modifications to the platforms.

The high recovery factor is largely thanks to the Statfjord Late Life project, lifting the horizon towards 2025.

Statfjord field partners: Statoil Petroleum AS (44.34 % – operator), ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS (21.37 %), Centrica Resources (Norge) AS (19.76 %) and Centrica Resources Limited (14.53 %).

Facts about the A platform

* Topsides: 41,500 tonnes

* Concrete shafts: 200,100 tonnes

* Storage capacity: 206,000 m3

* Total height: 270 metres

* The living quarters can accommodate 206 people.

* Production start: 24 November 1979.

Facts about the B platform

* Topsides: 42,500 tonnes

* Concrete shafts: 310,500 tonnes

* Storage capacity: 302,000 m3

* Total height: 271 metres

* The living quarters can accommodate 228 people

* Production start: 5 November 1982

Facts about the C platform

* Topsides: 50 000 tonnes

* Concrete shafts: 290,000 tonnes

* Storage capacity: 302,000 m3

* Total height: 290 metres

* The living quarters can accommodate 345 people

* Production start: 26 June 1985