Yme

Yme Oil Field Profile

The Yme oil field is located in the Egersund Basin, approximately 100 km off the coast of Norway, in blocks 9/2 and 9/5 of the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
The field is situated in the southeastern part of the North Sea, with a water depth ranging from 77m to 93m.
The reservoirs are found in the Middle Jurassic sandstones of the Sandnes Formation, at a depth of about 3,150 meters below the seabed. The field comprises two main structures, Gamma and Beta, which are approximately 12 kilometers apart.

The Yme field was discovered by Statoil in 1987.
The initial development plan was approved in 1995, and production began in February 1996 using a modified jack-up rig, the Maersk Giant, and a floating storage and offloading (FSO) tanker, Polysaga.
During this period, Statoil recovered about 50 million barrels of oil from the field before production was halted in 2001 due to low oil prices.

The field was developed in three phases: the development of the Gamma structure, the development of Beta East, and the exploration and development of adjacent prospects.
The initial development focused on the Gamma structure, with an estimated recoverable oil volume of 3.5 million cubic meters. Later appraisals and the development of Beta East increased the estimated recoverable oil volume to 10.5 million cubic meters.

After the initial production halt, Talisman Energy Norge (later acquired by Repsol) took over the operatorship of the field in 2006 and initiated a redevelopment plan.
The redevelopment involved the installation of a new Mobile Offshore Production Unit (MOPU) with a subsea storage tank, known as MOPUstor. However, this MOPU was removed in August 2016 due to structural deficiencies.
A new redevelopment plan was approved by Norwegian authorities in March 2018. This plan includes the deployment of a leased jack-up rig, the Maersk Inspirer, with drilling and production facilities, a new wellhead module, and the drilling of six new wells. The redevelopment also utilizes existing facilities such as a caisson, subsea oil storage tank, pipelines, and subsea infrastructure in the Beta structure.

The current operator of the Yme field is Repsol, which holds a 55% stake. Other partners include Lotos Exploration and Production Norge (20%), OKEA (15%), and Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC, 10%).

The field is expected to recover approximately 72.3 million barrels of oil, with a maximum production rate estimated at 40,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd).
Production will utilize water alternating gas (WAG) injection and partial water injection to maintain reservoir pressure. Gas produced will be reinjected, and oil will be transported via shuttle tankers.

The redevelopment involves several contractors, including Technip for the installation of flowlines, umbilicals, and subsea infrastructure; SBM Offshore for the provision and lease of production facilities; and Odim for the development of a workover jack-up rig.
The oil from the subsea storage tank of the MOPUstor platform will be exported to tankers through a submerged loading system (SLS).

The field was initially in production from 1996 to 2001. After the redevelopment, production is expected to restart, although the exact timeline has been subject to delays. The latest plans indicated a restart in 2021, but this may have been adjusted.

The redevelopment project involves significant investment, with Talisman having invested more than $629.5 million and planning to invest another $800 million.
The project is notable for its efficient and cost-effective approach to marginal field development, including fast-track conversion and installation of units, low capital and operational expenditures, and the use of water and gas reinjection to enhance oil recovery.