Marulk

Marulk Gas and Condensate Field Profile

Location

The Marulk gas and condensate field is situated in the Norwegian Sea, approximately 25-30 kilometers southwest of the Norne field. It is located in the Halten Nordland area, at a water depth of about 365-370 meters in block 6507 within Production Licence 122.

Discovery and Exploration

The Marulk field was discovered by Eni Norge in 1992. Following the initial discovery, two subsequent exploration wells and an appraisal well were drilled, with the appraisal well in 2007 confirming and extending the resource base in the Lysing and Lange formations.

Reservoir and Geology

The field produces gas from Cretaceous sandstone in the Lysing and Lange formations, which are at a depth of 2800-2850 meters below the sea surface. These reservoirs are part of turbidite fans and have moderate to good quality.

Development and Production

• Development Plan: The plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved by Norwegian authorities in August 2010. The field is developed with a subsea template tied back to the Norne Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.
• Production: Production commenced in April 2012. The field is currently producing at a rate of approximately 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Initially, two subsea wells were drilled, and a third production well targeting reserves in the Lange formation was added in 2019.
• Recovery Strategy: The field is produced using pressure depletion.

Infrastructure

• Subsea Facilities: The development includes a subsea template connected to the Norne FPSO through a 30km-long production flow line. The control and chemical injection umbilical extends 13km from the Alve template.
• FPSO: The Norne FPSO, which commenced operations in 1997, acts as the central production facility. It is located about 200km from the shore, with the onshore base in Bronnoysund.
• Transportation: The gas produced at Marulk is transported to the Åsgard Transport System (ÅTS) via the Norne Gas Transport System (NGTS), a 180km-long, 10-inch diameter pipeline, and then exported to either the European continent or the UK.

Operators and Stakeholders

• Operator: The field is currently operated by Vår Energi ASA. Previously, Eni Norge was the operator responsible for the field development, including subsea facilities and tie-in to the Norne FPSO.
• Stakeholders: The stakeholders include Vår Energi ASA, Equinor (formerly Statoil), and other partners. Initially, the ownership was split between Eni Norge (20%), Statoil (50%), and Dong E&P Norge (30%).

Reserves and Resources

• Estimated Reserves: The recoverable gas reserves in the field are estimated at approximately 74.7 million barrels of oil equivalent. The field is primarily a low-CO2 gas field with condensate.

Contracts and Suppliers

• Subsea Equipment: FMC Technologies was contracted to manufacture and supply subsea production equipment, including subsea trees, manifold, template, and associated controls. Nexans was subcontracted to design and manufacture a subsea control and injection umbilical.
• Pipeline Fabrication: Technip was awarded a contract by Statoil for the fabrication and installation of a pipe-in-pipe flowline for the Marulk field.

Current Status

• Production Phase: The production from Marulk is currently in the decline phase, limited by the commercial agreement with Norne and the gas handling capacity on the Norne FPSO. The field utilizes excess capacity when available on the FPSO.
• Licence Extension: The production licence has been extended until 2030, with ongoing evaluations for new infill targets.

Economic and Environmental Considerations

• Emissions: The Norne hub, which includes Marulk, is a focus area for reducing emissions.
• Decommissioning Costs: Part of the economic analysis includes considerations for decommissioning costs, which are factored into the overall economic viability of the project.