Parliament approval of Goliat

GOLIAT:The circular FPSO platform is the chosen development solution for Eni's Goliat field. (ill.:SEVAN MARINE)

The approval is a key milestone for the Goliat license and a further step in the realisation of the first ever oil field development in the Barents Sea. Goliat is a strategic project for Eni, and will be development with state of the art technology in order to minimize emissions in an environmentally important area, Eni writes in a press statement.

The field will be developed with subsea wells linked to a circular floating production, storage and offloading unit (FPSO) delivered by Sevan Marine. This makes it possible for the company to utilize electricity from shore combined with a gas turbine for power and heat on the offshore facility. According to Eni, this will result in significantly lower CO2 emission levels.

Added value for the local environment has been high up on the agenda during Goliat discussions, and Eni promises to create value for the northern part of the country.

- Eni has decided to locate its regional office in Hammerfest. The supply and helicopter base will also be located in the Hammerfest area. Together with the offshore organisaton, these operations will initially create around 150-200 direct jobs during the operation phase. In addition, a significant number of indirect jobs will be created through purchased of goods and services, Eni writes.

The Goliat field is located in blocks 7122/7, 8, 9, 10 and 7123/7, and reserves are estimated at approximately 180 million barrels of oil and gas equivalents. The total investments into the Goliat project is said to be around NOK 28 billion, and start-up for the project is planned for Q4 2009.