By Tore Falck

Ekofisk, one of ConocoPhillips’ legacy assets, has a new lease on life. In 2022, the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy extended ConocoPhillips’ production licenses in the Ekofisk Area from 2028 to 2048, paving the way for new investments and production.

ConocoPhillips recently honored the project team that secured the extension — known as the Greater Ekofisk Area License Extension Team — with a 2023 SPIRIT Award for their accomplishment.

“This milestone is a recognition of our work and long-term plans for continued development, aligned with the company’s vision: first to come, last to leave,” said Jan-Arne Johansen, general manager, Operated Assets Europe, who led the licensing team.

'Great potential for the company'

The 20-year license extension will enable ConocoPhillips to fulfill its long-term vision for activities on the Norwegian continental shelf, extending Ekofisk’s potential lifetime to nearly 80 years.

Jan-Arne Johansen, left, accepts a 2023 SPIRIT Award on behalf of the Greater Ekofisk Area License Extension Team from Steinar Våge, president, Europe, Middle East and North Africa

“In particular, the plans for the development of Eldfisk Nord required a longer perspective than we had,” Johansen said. “The need to extend the license period was further emphasized with the plans to connect the Tommeliten A development to the Ekofisk Complex. In 2020, we initiated a process considering an extension.”

To pave the way for the licensing extension, Norwegian management communicated the broad advantages of the extension to ConocoPhillips’ Executive Leadership Team (ELT) in Houston, gaining their full support.

“We presented a long-term horizon with great potential for the company, partners and the community,” Johansen said. “The ELT understands the important role we have to play going forward.”

The license extension application involved many highly skilled employees across the entire organization. Here are some of the members of the Greater Ekofisk License Extension Team

'Our ambition is to earn trust'

For over 50 years, Norwegian authorities have extended ConocoPhillips’ license to operate the field, extensions based on trust, transparency and cooperation.

"At ConocoPhillips, we must be trustworthy and deliver what we say — and preferably deliver better than that,” Johansen said. “Our ambition is to earn trust, which is an important part of our culture.”

For the license extension, the ConocoPhillips’ project team collaborated closely all the way with its four joint-venture partners — TotalEnergies EP Norge, Vår Energi, Equinor Energy and Petoro.

Over the years, ConocoPhillips and its partners have delivered numerous performance milestones, such as increasing the recovery rate from an estimated 17 percent to over 50 percent, achieving cumulative production of 6.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent and creating significant value for the Greater Ekofisk Area and the surrounding communities.

“It is fantastic how several generations have developed and managed the resources in the Ekofisk area for the greater good of the community with new projects and increased recovery, and through the small steps of constant improvements,” Johansen said.

An illustration of the Greater Ekofisk Area. ConocoPhillips expects to produce first oil and gas from its two development areas, Eldfisk North and Tommeliten A, shown in blue, in 2024

'Aggressive in our search for new technology'

ConocoPhillips, its partners and Norwegian authorities are continually seeking ways to improve emissions reductions, energy use and cost management in the Greater Ekofisk Area, collaborating to responsibly develop and manage the field’s resources.

“Such results stem from a systematic approach to new technology and innovation over decades,” Johansen said, “which we will continue.”

Whether its installing new subsea facilities or decommissioning old facilities, ConocoPhillips continues to pioneer new techniques and methods, continually optimizing its operations from start to finish.

“We are aggressive in our search for new technology,” he said. “For instance, we are now facing a breakthrough with coiled tubing drilling (CTD). It has been tried before, but this time we are using experiences from Alaska that we are adapting to the North Sea. There are still several unsolved questions, but we have proved the technology for water injection wells and are in the process to test CTD for production wells in our Ekofisk chalk field.”

With the license extension ConocoPhillips is recognized for its strong HSE culture and peer-leading safety performance and has built a solid reputation as a trusted partner and operator in Norway.

“Over time, our SPIRIT values have helped to nurture a diverse and inclusive culture, to the benefit of our employees and stakeholders, aligned with Norwegian authorities’ expectations”, Johansen concludes. “We are now looking forward to shape the future for the next Ekofisk-generations”.

Key Facts

• In June 1965, Phillips Petroleum Company (now ConocoPhillips) applied for acreage in the North Sea and was awarded what today is the Ekofisk Area in Production License 018 (PL 018).
• In October 1969, oil was proven in the fourth well, and production started less than two years after the discovery in June 1971.

KeyFacts Energy: ConocoPhillips Norway country profile