Norway: Production Begins at Atla Field

Total has announced today that it has begun production on the Atla gas condensate field in the Norwegian North Sea.

The field, which the company hoped to bring into production by the end of last week, has started up two years after exploration drilling was completed on the field. The Atla field is expected to begin to produce gas at an average flow rate of 14,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, Total said today, which will include 2,500 barrels a day of of condensates in 2013.

In a statement today, Total's Senior VP of Exploration & Production for Northern Europe, Patrice de Viviès, said the company expects the field to have a very quick return.

"'The Atla discovery was made in October 2010, in the frame of our near-by exploration program," he said. "The fast track development was completed within budget and schedule and will have a very quick return. It is a good example of Total’s expertise in maximizing value of mature assets by combining exploration and development forces."

The Atla field was able to be fast-tracked, partly due to its tieback to an existing subsea system, the Skirne/Byggve subsea system. This system is in turn connected to the Heimdal host platform located 24 kilometres southwest of the Atla field.

Partner Det Norske said that this existing infrastructure was a large contributor to the speed with which Total was able to start production at the field.

"We quickly decided upon a development solution supported by the authorities," CEO of Det Norske, Erik Haugane, said today. "It sets a good example of how to realize a discovery in a short time span by using existing infrastructure."

Total is the operator of the Atla field with a 40 per cent stake. Petoro holds the next largest stake at 30 per cent, while British explorer and producer Centrica holds a 20 per cent stake. Det Norske holds the remaining stake on the field of 10 per cent.