Ekofisk was Norway's first producing field and is also one of the largest on the Norwegian continental shelf. Production started in 1971.  With the projects now under development, the lifetime of the field is prepared for production towards 2050.

The Ekofisk Complex comprises all installations which are connected with bridges on the central Ekofisk field. As of 2011, this includes seven platforms plus bridge supports. In 2013/2014, a new accommodation and field center platform, Ekofisk 2/4 L, is planned to start operation at the Ekofisk Complex. In addition, a new wellhead platform, Ekofisk 2/4 Z, and a new seabed unit for water injection (Ekofisk 2/4 VB) are planned.

Since the development started early in the 1970s, the Complex has been a field centre and hub for the production from the Ekofisk field itself, and from the other fields in the Greater Ekofisk Area. In addition, production from other fields in the area has been - and is - transported via the Ekofisk Complex to the receiving terminals in Emden, Germany (gas) and Teesside, UK (oil).

The Ekofisk Complex was developed in stages, and has been upgraded and modernised several times. The Ekofisk Complex was given a major boost from 1998, when the ’new’ Ekofisk facility came on stream. This was a huge transition with new and modern platforms, at the same time as unprofitable fields were closed down and several old platforms were taken out of service. 
 

Ekofisk 2/4 J is a processing and transportation platform which became operational in 1998. It is connected with gangways to Ekofisk 2/4 X to the west and Ekofisk 2/4 M to the south. Ekofisk 2/4 J is a hub for all production from the four fields in the Greater Ekofisk Area. In addition to the production from the main field Ekofisk, oil and gas from Eldfisk, Embla and Tor is also transported to Ekofisk 2/4 J.

The oil from the Ula, Valhall and Hod fields, where BP is the operator, is transported via Ekofisk 2/4 J before being shipped to Teesside. This is also the case for oil and gas from the Gyda field, operated by Talisman. 

Oil and gas are processed at the Ekofisk 2/4 J platform before being pressurised and shipped in the export lines. The oil is shipped in a 354-kilometer long pipeline to the receiving terminal in Teesside in the UK, while the gas is shipped in a 440-kilometer long pipeline to Emden in Germany.

The central control room on the platform controls all processes on Ekofisk 2/4 J and the connected platforms, as well as the volumes running through the pipelines.

Ekofisk 2/4 J has a process capacity of 21.2 million cubic meters of gas and 350,000 barrels of oil per day. In addition, oil from Eldfisk  can ’bypass’ directly to the pipeline.

The CTour facility, which cleans produced water from the Ekofisk field, is also located on Ekofisk 2/4 J. The facility has capacity to clean 150,000 barrels of water per day, before discharging it to sea.

The Ekofisk 2/4 J platform is the largest energy producer in the Greater Ekofisk Area. The energy production is gas-based, adapted to the daily need and is mainly used directly for processing, gas export, gas injection and oil transport. Two gas turbines totalling 44 MW installed capacity have also been installed to supply the integrated power grid on the Ekofisk field.

Ekofisk 2/4 X is a drilling and production platform connected to the platforms Ekofisk 2/4 C and Ekofisk 2/4 J via gangways.

Ekofisk 2/4 X mainly performs two tasks: It is equipped with a separate drilling rig for drilling of wells, and it is also a wellhead platform receiving the reservoir production before being transferred to Ekofisk 2/4 J.

Ekofisk 2/4 X has been operational since 1996.

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Ekofisk 2/4 M is a combined production and process platform remotely controlled from Ekofisk 2/4 J. Ekofisk 2/4 M came on stream in 2005 and can accommodate 30 wells. One of the wells is used for reinjection of cuttings. The platform has no fixed derrick, so the drilling takes place using a leased drilling rig (jack-up).

The temporary accommodation rig Haven has been connected to Ekofisk 2/4 M with gangway from August 2011. 

The platform will also be the connection point for the new platforms Ekofisk 2/4 L and Ekofisk 2/4 Z, scheduled for installation in 2013/2014.

Ekofisk 2/4 H is an accommodation platform with 134 cabins. The platform is equipped with facilities to service its guests, including a kitchen and mess, a separate power generator, dedicated water production and everything required to cater for the crew.

In addition to the accommodation functions, there is a cinema, gym, leisure rooms, coffee room, chapel, hospital and health personnel department. The platform also has equipment for technical training and storage capacity for a number of technical functions, such as helicopter traffic service. 

Ekofisk 2/4 H also functions as a field centre and is currently, together with the temporary accommodation rig Haven, the most important helicopter landing site in the area. Most of the helicopter traffic from Sola to the Greater Ekofisk Area lands at these platforms, while they are also the base for most of the daily shuttle traffic between the installations.

Ekofisk 2/4 C is a combined production and compressor platform on the Ekofisk Complex. The platform is permanently staffed with operations personnel. It has gangway connections to Ekofisk 2/4 H, Ekofisk 2/4 Q and Ekofisk 2/4 X.

The production is transported to Ekofisk 2/4 J for separation and processing – and further on to the receiving terminals for oil (Teesside) and gas (Emden).

Production from Ekofisk 2/4 C started in 1974.

Ekofisk 2/4 Q was installed in 1972 and was originally a living quarters platform with a helicopter deck and offices. The platform is not in daily use, but in stand-by.

The platform is bridged to the Ekofisk 2/4 FTP and the Ekofisk 2/4 C platforms.

Ekofisk 2/4 Q is on the list of platforms to be decommissioned.

Ekofisk 2/4 FTP is an unmanned riser platform which receives the production from Ekofisk 2/4 A  for transport to Ekofisk 2/4 J. It is connected to the Ekofisk Complex via a  gangway to Ekofisk 2/4 Q.

The platform is unmanned, and is included in the plans for decommissioning of older installations.

Ekofisk 2/4 FTP was installed in 1972, and came into operation in 1974.

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EKOFISK 2/4 K-B

Ekofisk 2/4 K-B is located 2.3 kilometers north of the Ekofisk Complex. These two platforms have joint staffing and are connected with a gangway. Operations on the two platforms are controlled from the control room on Ekofisk 2/4 K.

Ekofisk 2/4 B is a production platform for oil and gas with 24 wells. The oil and the gas from 2/4 B is transported by pipelines to the Ekofisk Complex. Personnel who work daily on this platform live on Ekofisk 2/4 K.


Ekofisk 2/4 K is a water injection and accommodation platform with 30 wells. The living quarters module has 182 beds on five floors, and both personnel working on this platform and on Ekofisk 2/4 B live here.

The water injection on Ekofisk started from Ekofisk 2/4 Kilo in 1987. From 1990, Ekofisk 2/4 K has supplied injection water to other platforms as well. From 2010, when the seabed unit Ekofisk 2/4 VA came on stream, water injection on the Ekofisk field has been done either from 2/4 K or from this new unit.
 
The daily injection rate into the Ekofisk reservoir is approximately 450,000 barrels of water. Part of this injection water is supplied from Eldfisk 2/7 E and transported in a 24-kilometer long pipeline to Ekofisk 2/4 K for injection from there.

The total daily injection rate on Ekofisk and Eldfisk is approximately 650,000 barrels of water.

Water injection is used to increase the recovery of oil and gas. The function of the water is to maintain reservoir pressure at a stable level as oil and gas is recovered from the reservoir. Water injection is the single most important factor in keeping the production on the Ekofisk field at a high level.
 

EKOFISK 2/4 VA

Ekofisk 2/4 VA is a seabed unit for water injection, and it is remotely operated from a control room in one of the company's integrated operations centres in the main office in Tananger.

The injection water comes from Ekofisk 2/4 K and is sent 4.1 kilometers through a pipeline before being injected under high pressure at the wellhead, around 70 meters below sea level.

The injection capacity is 120,000 barrels of water per day, divided among eight injection wells.

Ekofisk 2/4 VA came into operation in 2010, and is the first seabed unit on Ekofisk after the early production in 1971 with the Gulftide rig.

EKOFISK 2/4 A

Ekofisk 2/4 A is a production platform located 3.1 kilometers south of the Ekofisk Complex. The platform is normally unmanned. In cases where personnel are on board to perform maintenance or inspection, the platform is controlled from the local control room.

The production from Ekofisk 2/4 A is transported via the pipeline to Ekofisk 2/4 FTP and then on to Ekofisk 2/4 J for processing and further transport to the receiving terminals for oil (Teesside, UK) and gas (Emden, Germany).

Ekofisk 2/4 A was the first permanent platform in the Greater Ekofisk Area – and on the Norwegian continental shelf. The first oil production from well A-13 commenced on 25 April 1974.

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