Norway's Dvalin producing gas from two wells in eastern part of field: operator

The Dvalin gas field offshore Norway is currently producing from two wells in the eastern part of the field, while testing continues on the wells in the western part, operator Wintershall Dea said Aug. 1.

Dvalin -- which has been beset by technical issues over the past few years -- resumed production on July 29, according to transparency notes from grid operator Gassco.

In emailed comments, Wintershall Dea said production from the two eastern wells started over the weekend after a "thorough" technical evaluation of the safety barriers in the entire field was carried out.

While the eastern part of the field continues to ramp up, the two wells in the western sector are undergoing engineering testing in accordance with industry standards. This process is expected to be completed soon, the company said.

"This field sector could also start producing once the necessary safety barriers are confirmed and in compliance with applicable standards and regulations," it said.

"A firm date for starting up the western field sector is yet to be decided."

The four-well field has suffered a number of technical issues since it was first brought online in late 2020.

During initial flow tests, measurements showed that the gas contained mercury levels exceeding the maximum amount allowed in the system and the field was shut in for over two years.

Following a temporary restart in February 2023, new technical problems with the choke valves in the Christmas trees were experienced.

Then in June, Wintershall Dea said a new pre-start technical evaluation had identified a potential integrity issue in production wells.

Norway output

Gas from Dvalin -- which has a technical production capacity of 9 million cu m/d -- is sent to the Heidrun field for further processing before being exported via the Polarled pipeline into the Nyhamna processing facility.

Norway last year pledged to do as much as it could to boost gas deliveries to Europe to help mitigate the European energy crisis caused by much lower Russian supplies.

Producers were also motivated to maximize exports by high European gas prices through 2022, though prices have weakened in recent months due to healthy storage stocks and demand reductions.

Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed the benchmark Dutch TTF month-ahead price at Eur27.30/MWh on July 31, down from an all-time high of Eur319.98/MWh on Aug. 26, 2022.

Norwegian gas production totaled 122 Bcm in 2022 and was expected to remain flat in 2023 before reaching a new peak of 122.5 Bcm in 2025.