Development
The water depth is 77-93 metres. The field comprises two separate main structures, Gamma and Beta, which are 12 kilometres apart. Yme was discovered in 1987, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 1995. Yme was originally developed with a jack-up drilling and production platform on the Gamma structure and a storage vessel. The Beta structure was developed with a subsea template. Production started in 1996. In 2001, production ceased because operation of the field was no longer regarded as profitable. Yme was the first field on the Norwegian continental shelf to be considered for redevelopment after being shut down. The PDO for a redevelopment was approved in 2007. The development concept was a new mobile offshore production unit (MOPU). Due to structural deficiencies and the vast amount of outstanding work to complete the MOPU, it was decided to remove it from the field in 2013. The MOPU was removed in 2016 in accordance with the authorities’ formal disposal resolution. In March 2018, an amended PDO for the redevelopment of Yme was approved. The PDO includes a leased jack-up rig equipped with drilling and production facilities and re-use of existing facilities on the field. The plan is to re-use the nine wells pre-drilled in 2009-2010 and to drill six additional wells. A new subsea template is planned to be installed nearby the existing template on the Beta structure.
Reservoir
The Gamma and Beta structures comprise six deposits. The reservoirs are in sandstone of Middle Jurassic age in the Sandnes Formation, at a depth of 3,150 metres. They are heterogeneous and have variable reservoir properties.
Recovery
The field will be produced by pressure support from partial water injection and water alternating gas (WAG) injection.
Transport
The oil will be transported with tankers and the associated gas will be used for power consumption or reinjected.
Status
The Yme development project is currently in the hook-up and commissioning phase. The subsea storage tank, subsea flowlines, and the wellhead module and the MODPU are already in place. Expected production start is in the second half of 2021 and the field is expected to add 7,500 boepd net to OKEA at plateau and 4,900 boepd net to OKEA on average during the first year of operation.