08 Apr Gro, is one of the largest undeveloped gas discoveries on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).
Gro* is located in the Norwegian Sea, about 160 kilometres from the Åsta Hansteen field and 350 kilometres west of Sandnessjøen.
“Gro has been left untouched in recent years. There’s a time-limit on this, because the discovery needs to be tied back to the Åsta Hansteen field while we still have infrastructure in the area. In ten years, it could be too late,” says Arne Jacobsen, Assistant Director for Technology and Subsurface at the Norwegian Offshore Directorate.
A major untapped discovery
There is significant uncertainty surrounding the size of the discovery, but early estimates from the Directorate indicated a very broad range, meaning 10–100 billion standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable gas. The size has now been projected at about 52 billion Sm3 of gas in place.
“Gro is yet another in a long line of gas discoveries that remain undeveloped for various reasons. Many of them are in tight reservoirs, which makes production challenging,” Jacobsen says.
Shell discovered Gro in 2009, and the discovery was delineated in 2010. The seismic company TGS acquired a new data set in 2019. In 2021, the discovery was relinquished to the authorities from then-licensees Equinor and Wintershall. These efforts are based on both old and new seismic.
New study to kick-start Gro
In an effort to speed up the process, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate hired the consulting firm Terra Stream Energy to conduct a study of the discovery.
All relevant subsurface topics were assessed in the study, which shows three static models covering the volume range in the discovery. The study has resulted in geological models and a report that will be made available to companies on the NCS. There is a considerable value creation potential here, but time is running out. Read More
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