PGNiG Upstream Norway, together with Aker BP as the operator and other licence partners, commenced production from the Gråsel field.
“The Gråsel project proves that even relatively small fields can be valuable assets, providing a very attractive return on investment and a reduced carbon footprint,” said Paweł Majewski, President of the Management Board of PGNiG, the sole owner of PGNiG Upstream Norway. “The location of Gråsel in an area where there is already a well-developed infrastructure not only reduced the cost of developing the field but also shortened the development time. Production from the field was launched only six months after the final investment decision and four months before the originally planned deadline. Increased utilisation of the existing infrastructure also means a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per each unit of hydrocarbons extracted in the region.”
Gråsel is an oil and gas field with resources of 13 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe). The ability to use the completed infrastructure significantly improves the profitability of new upstream projects in the region. In addition to Gråsel, FPSO Skarv is used for the Ærfugl gas field, where five wells are in operation and two more will be commissioned later this year. It is also planned to use FPSO Skarv to off-take hydrocarbons from other fields owned by PGNiG Upstream Norway: Shrek and Alve Nord. At the turn of May and June 2021, the unit underwent a major planned turnaround to enable it to receive additional gas volumes from new projects located in the Skarv area.
Currently, PGNiG Upstream Norway is a shareholder in 36 licences on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. It produces crude oil and natural gas from 10 fields, with another five fields undergoing investment and analytical work. In 2020, the Company produced 615,000 tons of oil, which is 40 per cent more than in the previous year. Natural gas production amounted to 0.48 billion cubic metres and was at a similar level as in 2019.
