The Cat J rig has been permitted by the Norwegian authority to carry out production drilling, completion, plugging and abandonment, as well as intervention activities
The Martin Linge field has been producing since June 2021. (Credit: Jan Arne Wold & Øyvind Gravås / Equinor)
Equinor has secured the consent of the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) for the use of the Askepott jackup rig on the Martin Linge field in the Norwegian North Sea.
The Cat J rig has been allowed to carry out production drilling, completion, plugging and abandonment, as well as intervention activities.
Martin Linge is situated in the northern part of the North Sea, near the border to the British sector. The oil and gas field is in a water depth of 115m and is located 42km west of the Equinor-operated Oseberg field.
Discovered in 1978, the field’s plan for development and operations (PDO) was granted approval in 2012. Its development concept involves the installation of a fully integrated fixed production platform and a floating, storage and offloading unit (FSO) for the storage of oil.
Production from the offshore oil and gas field began in June 2021. Equinor has an operating stake of 51% in Martin Linge. Its partners in the field include Petoro (30%) and Sval Energi (19%).
The anticipated recoverable resources for the field are roughly 260 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe). When operating at plateau capacity, the field is expected to yield approximately 115,000boe per day.
Earlier this month, KCA Deutag secured a contract for a project aiming to electrify the Askepott rig.
To be executed by KCA Deutag’s Kenera business unit, the electrification initiative is expected to make the Askepott rig the first in Equinor’s portfolio to be powered from onshore upon its completion in Q4 2024.
As part of the plan, Askepott will be powered via high voltage cabling from the Martin Linge A platform, which is itself already connected to the shore through a 162km long alternating current cable.
The electrification of the Askepott jackup rig is being taken up to enhance energy efficiency during drilling operations and yield substantial reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.