50 years with the Ekofisk license
50 years ago, in August 1965, ConocoPhillips was awarded production license 018 (PL018) in the very first licensing round on the Norwegian Shelf. Four years later, the Ekofisk field was discovered in block 2/4 as the first Norwegian commercial oil field.
In 2015 ConocoPhillips is well prepared for the future in the Greater Ekofisk Area. Three new platforms have been constructed, the infrastructure has been updated and many new wells are being drilled to ensure continued production from the fields in the area.
The Ekofisk field is today among the biggest producers on the Norwegian Shelf and the field has many years still to come. In addition to Ekofisk itself, Eldfisk, Embla and Tor constitute the four producing fields in the Greater Ekofisk Area located in block 2/4, at the southern tip of the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.
First and largest
Fifty years have now passed since the Norwegian government announced the first, and still the largest ever, licensing round. This happened after Norway reached an agreement with the UK and Denmark regarding demarcation of the North Sea and the Norwegian government had established regulations for “exploring and exploiting subsea petroleum deposits on the Norwegian part of the Continental Shelf”.
Early interest
The first licensing round comprised a total of 278 blocks. The application deadline was in June, and two months later, the Norwegian Minister of Industry announced that Phillips Petroleum had been awarded operatorship for the PL018 on behalf of the Phillips Group. The company had signalled interest in the Norwegian Shelf as early as 1962, and registered the subsidiary Phillips Petroleum Norsk in the Oslo Business Register in the fall of 1964.
Production start
The Ekofisk discovery was proven in December 1969, and production started only 18 months later, on 9 June 1971. The field produced to buoy loaders in the early years, and the oil has been transported by pipeline to Teesside in the UK since 1975. October of this year marks 40 years since the first crude oil was received at the Teesside terminal.
The Ekofisk discovery was proven in December 1969, and production started only 18 months later, on 9 June 1971. The field produced to buoy loaders in the early years, and the oil has been transported by pipeline to Teesside in the UK since 1975. October of this year marks 40 years since the first crude oil was received at the Teesside terminal.
The current production licence for PL018 is valid until 2028. ConocoPhillips is the operator with an ownership interest of 35.11 percent.
Map: Norwegian Petroleum Directorate/Nowegian petroleum Museum