The stricken Njord A platform in the North Sea could be brought ashore for major refurbishment or even replaced by a new floating production vessel.
Operator Statoil announced in September it was carrying out detailed analysis of the structural integrity of the platform, and its preliminary analysis led to the temporary shutdown of production and drilling on Njord to allow for the deck structure to be reinforced.
Last weekend Statoil were forced to evacuate almost 100 workers from the platform as a precaution as an adverse weather system blew through the Njord field.
Repair work on the platform deck has since commenced and is due for completion in the second quarter of next year, at which point the facility will be brought back into production.
However, it has been revealed that Statoil and its partners are now also investigating long-term options for Njord.
The three options currently on the table are identifying alternate means of development drilling from the platform following the deck restructure work; bringing Njord A ashore for major refurbishment or hull replacement work; or potentially building a new replacement platform or putting a floating production, storage and offloading vessel on station instead.
Faroe Petroleum which has a 7.5% stake in Njord said the purpose of the current evaluation work was to “identify a robust plan for the long-term development of the hydrocarbon resources in the Njord area in order to create maximum value and reserves exploitation”.
The review is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
Faroe CEO Graham Stewart said: “Given the very significant remaining value potential in Njord and the surrounding area, we continue to work closely with the operator in order to identify the best long-term plans for Njord.
“We also support Statoil in their efforts to ensure the Njord facility remains a safe workplace for everyone involved.
“Conducting our operations in a safe manner is of paramount importance and remains the first priority in everything we do.
“While we await finalisation of the Njord structural integrity review and scenario analysis, we look forward to one of our most exciting periods ahead,” he added.
“Faroe has a significant programme of fully-funded, high-impact exploration and appraisal wells under way.”