Statoil Opens Research Center in Norway

Tord Lien, Minister of petroleum and energy, opened Statoil (STO)’s new research center for improved oil recovery (IOR) at Rotvoll in Trondheim, Norway.

Statoil’s head of research Lars Høier underlined the importance of research and technology development in his welcome speech, saying, “The opening of the IOR center is a milestone for us, but our main resource is still our clever and knowledgeable colleagues who create wonderful results in applying their skills.”

Lien and the mayor of Trondheim officially opened the IOR center. Lien commented, “The NCS is a workplace for the future, the resources are utilized in a sustainable manner and the recovery rate is record high, which benefit the employees and the financing of the Norwegian welfare state. We had not come this far without targeted efforts by the authorities and the oil companies. Research and technology development have been key elements in for example achieving the record high recovery rate we already see on the NCS. If the recovery rate increases by one percent, it will increase our income from the NCS by NOK 300 billion.”

“Research and new technology will be key factors in times ahead to keep costs low and energy production and value creation high. For several decades Statoil has been highly instrumental in technology development on the NCS and is among the companies with the highest recovery rate. Today’s opening of Statoil’s IOR center is significant for the future of the NCS, and illustrates that Statoil wants to contribute to optimal use of NCS resources also in the future.”

The IOR center at Rotvoll, which has a price tag of approximately $39 million, will be the largest of its kind in Norway and one of the most advanced in the world. Its goal is to develop technologies that will lead to further increase of the recovery rate from reservoirs, and to reach the ambition of a 60% recovery rate on the NCS.

The main contribution to improved recovery is drilling of new wells and maintenance of existing wells. The more wells we drill, the larger parts of the oil reservoirs we will reach. The IOR center will play a key role in Statoil’s efforts to improve the efficiency of drilling operations.

The IOR center will focus on improved recovery from all types of reservoirs on the NCS – old and new. Statoil will also use the technology to improve recovery on our international fields.

In the heart of the center resides a new industrial scanner with a 500 times higher resolution than a medical scanner. It will enable tracking of oil movements and flows in various rocks on pore level. Through high-resolution 2D and 3D images it will be possible to see which IOR method is best suited in each reservoir, while receiving a deeper understanding of how the reservoir is formed.

Statoil’s CEO Helge Lund expresses his high expectations of the IOR center, stating “Our next goal is the oil which is difficult to extract. We have a steep learning curve ahead of us, which will be tougher for every percentage point we achieve, but these volumes are of high value to us. A dedicated IOR lab gives Statoil a unique opportunity to solve future IOR challenges.”