Arvid Jensen says to newspaper Finnmark Dagblad that the Skrugard field could be put in production as soon as in 2018. The field is considered a major breakthrough for the Norwegian oil industry in the Barents Sea. As reported by Statoil, the field is believed to have resources of up to 250 million tons of extractable oil equivalents.
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The finding is one of the most important on the Norwegian shelf the last decade, the company said in a press release last Friday. Drilling operations with the Polar Pioneer rig found a proven gas column of 33 metres and an oil column of 90 metres. The oil is anticipated to be easily producible. With adjacent resources, the Skrugard reserves could exceed 500 million tons of oil equivalents, the company maintains.
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The Skrugard field is the third major hydrocarbon finding in the Barents Sea. From before, Statoil has gas production at the Snøhvit field. The ENI company is preparing for oil production at the Goliat field. Goliat startup is expected no earlier than 2013.
