Repsol – Blane – follow-up of operations and life extension

The audit was conducted from 12 to 14 May 2020.

Background

The Blane field is in the south of the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, 35 kilometres southwest of Ula. The field is on the boundary with the UK sector, and the Norwegian share is 18%. Blane was discovered in 1989, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 2005. The field has been developed using a subsea facility on the UK continental shelf comprising two horizontal production wells tied to Ula. Production started in 2007.

The Blane field is approaching the expiry of its production licence, but an extension of this and an application for consent to extend the life of the facilities are planned.

Objective

The objective of the audit was to verify that the follow-up of Blane in its late phase complies with the regulations, as well as to gain an insight into the work undertaken in respect of the envisaged application for consent for life extension.

Result

No regulatory non-conformities were identified, but we observed four conditions categorised as improvement points. These were:

• Barriers to prevent hydrocarbon leaks
• Assessment of instrumentation
• Corrosion control
• Follow-up of emergency shutdown valves.

What happens now?

We have asked Repsol to give us their assessment of the improvement points observed by 10 August 2020.