Equinor

The latest example of the offshore sector's march toward automated wellbore construction will take shape later this year in the North Sea.

An oil and gas startup has attracted the business with a major operator thanks to its ability to forecast whether production-enhancing chemicals will work as advertised.

Subsea inspection/repair/maintenance services have traditionally relied on vessel-based, ROV, or diver operations. In the longer term, identifying significant incremental savings in these operations is not sustainable and an innovative approach deploying digital technologies is being investigated.

Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Equinor, Shell, and Total are among nine firms looking to explore the Pearl River Mouth Basin.

A project of “firsts,” Equinor’s Aasta Hansteen spar platform began producing gas on 16 December, opening a new region for gas export to Europe and the UK.

The deal gives Equinor an additional 7.5% ownership stake in the Njord redevelopment project and associated tiebacks in the Norwegian Sea, and potentially raises Faroe’s value in the midst of a hostile takeover attempt by DNO.

The deal gives Equinor exploration parcels in the prolific Jeanne d’Arc Basin, near its existing discoveries offshore Newfoundland and Labrador.

The North Sea field, which holds an estimated 300 million BOE in recoverable resources, is now scheduled to start production in early 2020. Operator Equinor said the timeline was based on its assessment of the remaining scope of work on the project.

The technology will provide Equinor a continual feed of updated reservoir information from its Johan Castberg and Johan Sverdrup fields with the aim of improving well placement, production, injection, and—ultimately—recovery.

ExxonMobil and Hess led the way in the most active regionwide US gulf lease sale thus far.