Brage

Location and Geography

The Brage oil and gas field is located in the northern part of the North Sea, approximately 120 kilometers northwest of Bergen, Norway, and about 10 kilometers east of the Oseberg field. The field is situated in blocks 31/4, 31/7, and 30/6, with a water depth of around 140 meters.

Discovery and Production History

The Brage field was discovered in 1980 through the discovery well 31/4-3. Production commenced in 1993, with peak production achieved in 1998 at 120,000 barrels per day (bpd). As of recent years, the production has been significantly lower, but efforts are ongoing to enhance recovery.

Reservoir Details

The Brage field's reservoirs consist of several geological formations:

• Early Jurassic sandstone in the Statfjord Group
• Middle Jurassic sandstone in the Brent Group and the Fensfjord Formation
• Upper Jurassic sandstone in the Sognefjord Formation

These reservoirs are located at depths of approximately 2,000-2,300 meters beneath the seabed. The reservoir quality varies from poor to excellent.

Recovery Strategy

The recovery strategy for the Brage field involves several methods:

• Water injection in the Statfjord and Fensfjord formations
• Water alternating gas (WAG) injection in the Brent Group
• Depletion with pressure support from the aquifer in the Sognefjord Formation
• Gas lift is utilized in most wells.

Field Development and Infrastructure

The field is developed with a fixed integrated production, drilling, and accommodation facility featuring a steel jacket platform. This platform includes a two-stage separation unit with gas compression and export facilities. The platform is equipped with a drilling unit to support the drilling of additional development and exploration wells.

Export and Transport

The recovered oil is transported via a pipeline to the Oseberg A platform and then further through the Oseberg Transport System (OTS) to the Sture terminal in western Norway. The gas is transported through a pipeline to Statpipe, which distributes it to various markets, including the Kårstø processing plant.

Current Status and Future Plans

Despite being in the tail phase of production, the Brage field continues to see active development:

• New wells are being drilled to improve oil recovery, including recent successes like the Talisker East well, which raised production by 60%.
• Planning is underway for drilling additional wells, including a water injector and a second producer on Talisker East, and the development of new resources.
• A feasibility study is being conducted for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) by injecting carbon dioxide into the Brage field.
• Concept studies are ongoing for the tie-in of the nearby Brasse Field.

Operatorship and Partners

As of the latest updates, the operator of the Brage field is OKEA (previously operated by Wintershall Dea until a change in 2023 is noted in some sources, though this may be a temporary or incorrect update). The current partners include:

• OKEA (operator)
• Lime Petroleum (acquired a 33.84% interest from Repsol Norge in 2021)
• Repsol Norge (prior to the acquisition by Lime Petroleum)
• DNO Norge
• Vår Energi
• Neptune Energy.

Contracts and Maintenance

Several contracts have been awarded for maintenance and development work on the Brage field:

• Wood for engineering and construction services associated with well hook-up in 2018
• Odfjell Drilling for platform drilling services with a four-year extension in 2020
• Eidesvik Offshore for supply vessel services starting from January 2021
• Head Energy for modification services and energy optimization studies.

Reserves and Production

As of recent estimates, the Brage field contains approximately 21.52 million barrels of oil equivalent (Mboe) in remaining reserves. The oil produced is of 33.7° API with 0.37% sulfur content. The field also produces gas and natural gas liquids (NGL).

In summary, the Brage oil and gas field is a mature but still active production site in the North Sea, with ongoing efforts to enhance recovery and extend its operational life through new drilling and innovative recovery techniques.