Frigg gas field
| Company type | Natural gas reservoir |
|---|---|
| Industry | Oil and gas industry |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Defunct | 2004-10-26 |
| Headquarters | Norway / United Kingdom (North Sea) |
Area served | North Sea |
Key people | King Olav V of Norway (inaugurated production) |
| Products | Natural gas |
| Parent | Elf Aquitaine (now part of Total S.A.) |
Frigg gas field is a natural gas reservoir situated on Norwegian block 25/1 in the North Sea, positioned along the maritime boundary between the United Kingdom and Norway. Bearing the name of the Norse goddess Frigg, its production operations were inaugurated by King Olav V of Norway on 8 May 1978 and concluded on 26 October 2004. The field is located roughly 230 km northwest of Stavanger. The French oil company Elf Aquitaine, now part of Total S.A., managed the field's operations.
The operational framework was established under the Frigg Treaty, an agreement between the UK and Norwegian governments.
The field’s infrastructure was developed in three distinct stages:
- Phase I - 1977
- Phase II - 1978
- Phase III - 1981
Geology
In 1971, the Petronord consortium—which included Elf Aquitaine, Total Oil Marine Norsk, Norsk Hydro—and the Norwegian State discovered the field at a depth of 1850 meters using the semi-submersible rig Neptune P 81. The reservoir spans approximately 115 km² and features a 170-meter gas column contained within Lower Eocene sandstones that form an abyssal fan inside the Viking Structural basin. Between 1965 and 1973, seismic data acquisition and appraisal drilling confirmed the reservoir’s extent and geological characteristics.
Development
The Frigg field was developed utilizing several offshore platforms:
| Platform | Coordinates | Role | Structure type | Number of legs | Well slots | Installation date | Start of production | End of production |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frigg DP1 | 59°52’40”N 02°04’48”E | Drilling platform | Steel jacket | 8 | ? | October 1974 (damaged) | – | – |
| Frigg CDP1 | 59°52’31”N 02°03’42”E | Drilling, production | Concrete gravity base | 1 | 24 | September 1975 | September 1977 | TP1 |
| Frigg TP1 | 59°52’47”N 02°03’51”E | Processing platform | Concrete gravity base | 2 | – | June 1976 | September 1977 | MCP01 |
| Frigg QP | 59°52’42”N 02°03’54”E | Accommodation platform | Steel jacket | 4 | – | July 1975 | – | – |
| Frigg DP2 | 59°53’10”N 02°04’21”E | Drilling, production platform | Steel jacket | 8 | 24 | May 1976 | August 1978 | TCP2 |
| Frigg TCP2 | 59°52’48”N 02°04’01”E | Processing and compression | Concrete gravity base | 3 | – | June 1977 | August 1978 | MCP01, DP2 |
| Frigg MCP-01 | 58°49’39”N 00°17’12”E | Manifold and compression station | Concrete gravity base | 1 | – | June 1976 | September 1977 | St Fergus |
| Frigg flare platform FP | 59°52’54”N 02°03’21”E | Flare platform | Articulated steel structure | 1 | – | October 1975 | December 1977 | (From TP1) |
| Frigg NE | 59°59’07”N 02°14’52”E | Field control centre | Steel tower with concrete foundation | 6 subsea trees | June 1981 | December 1983 | TCP2 |
Gas production initially rose sharply from 1,566 thousand standard cubic meters in 1977 to surpassing a peak of over 17,900 thousand standard cubic meters in the early part of the 1980s.
Pipelines
The Frigg field is connected by several pipelines as follows:
MCP-01 St Fergus (2 lines) ×174 km "32” "Gas" CDP1 TP1 (2 lines) ×500 m "26” "Gas" CDP1 TP1 500 m "4” "Condensate" TP1 CDP1 500 m "8” "Kill fluid" DP2 TCP2 (2 lines) ×700 m "26” "Gas" DP2 TCP2 700 m "4” "Condensate" TCP2 DP2 700 m "8” "Kill fluid" TP1 FP 500 m "24” "Gas" TP1 FP 500 m — Gas air pilot Subsea template TCP2 18 km "16” "Gas" TCP2 NEF 18 km "1.25” "Methanol"| Origin | Destination terminal | Length | Diameter | Pipeline type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TP1 / TCP2 | MCP-01 | (2 lines) ×186 km | "32” | "Gas" |
Pipelines linked to the Frigg field
- Frigg UK System – a natural gas transportation network running from the Alwyn North Field through Frigg to St. Fergus, Scotland, managed by Total E&P UK Plc.
- Vesterled – mainly the pipeline formerly known as the Frigg Norwegian Pipeline.
- Gas extracted from the Odin gas field was delivered to Frigg TCP2 through a 26 km, 20-inch diameter pipeline.
Future prospects
The Frigg field holds promise for redevelopment. In 2016, Equinor secured a production licence on the Norwegian side and conducted an appraisal well in 2019. Equinor's licence ownership on the UK side further reflects their strategic intent to prolong the field’s operational lifespan.
Bibliography
External links
- Frigg Industrial Heritage – English-language site by the Norwegian Petroleum Museum
- Frigg decommissioning – Total E&P Norge
- Frigg UK: 30 Years on
- Frigg in Interactive Energy Map