PETROLEUM SAFETY AUTHORITY NORWAY

Regulatory update with focus on Qualification of new technology &

new materials including status of Temporary plugged wells

Nina Ringøen
Drilling & Well Technology
Petroleum Safety Authority Norway
PTIL/PSA
 PLUGGING & ABANDONMENT

Several fields on the NCS are now brown

fields and at the end of their life cycle,
and will be permanently plugged and
abandoned in the years to come.
It will be important to ensure that the wells
are plugged in such a way that they do not
leak into the sea or air in the future. For
every year that goes by without the
innovative focus on development and
qualification of new technology for
permanent plugging, the industry loses
important experience and learning which are
important for efficiency and costs.

It is only through continuous improvement

that we can improve and learn so that the
Norwegian continental shelf will continue to
be a world champion within HSE.

PTIL/PSA
 Overall objectives for
PSA Norway
”The PSA will set the terms for and
supervise that participants in the
petroleum industry are maintaining a
high level of health, safety,
environmental protection and
emergency preparedness,
and thereby also help to create the
greatest possible value for society.”
from “Our Crown Prince's Regent's resolution “

PTIL/PSA
Areas of responsibility
CO2 transport and injection (2018)
Petroleum operations
• Facilities under construction. Part of Longship, the
government’s demonstration project for full-scale
• 94 fields on stream CO2 management
• 85 fixed facilities Renewable energy production offshore (2020)
• 43 mobile facilities with an AoC • Two areas of the Norwegian continental shelf
• 342 subsea facilities opened for offshore wind power: Utsira North and
Southern North Sea II
• 17 400 kilometres of pipeline
• 25 000 employees offshore Seabed minerals (2022)
Updated 9th of May 2022

• Supervisory responsibility for safety and

emergency preparedness with the future
recovery of minerals from the seabed

PTIL/PSA
 Statistics:
Number of wells re-used for slot recoveries and permanent abandoned wellbores

Number of permanent
P&A of wellbores /
slot recoveries from
NPD

Orange: Permanent plugged wells

Blue: Slot recoveries

PTIL/PSA
5
 Well Integrity status 2021 ( 2129 wells)
Six wells (0.3%) in the red 40 wells (1.9%) in the
category orange category

556 wells (26.1%)

PTIL/PSA
 Activity Regulations 88
SECURING WELLS
- All wells shall be secured before they are
abandoned so that well integrity is safeguarded
during the time they are abandoned (eternity).

- It shall be possible to check well integrity in

the event of reconnection on temporarily
abandoned wells.

➢ “…For subsea-completed wells, well integrity shall be

monitored if the plan is to abandon the wells for more
than twelve months.

PTIL/PSA
 Facility Regulations § 9
Qualification of new technology and new materials
TRL-process
API 17N

PTIL/PSA
 New Technology
NORSOK D-010 EAC Table No. 61 Perf, Wash and Cement Plug (PWC)

❖ Builds on experience with emphasis on establishing

a qualification matrix, track record and use industry
best practice
❖ Emphasis on limitations of application
❖ Reference to establish track record in Norsok D-
010 Rev 5/2021

Use of both "Track record" &

"Qualification Matrix".

PTIL/PSA
Qualification process for P&A
“PWC report”
PSA support development and use of new technology
related to P&A
➢ Intention to Review of qualification processes and
technology development related to Perforate, Wash
and Cement (PWC)
➢ AkerBP, ConocoPhillips and Equinor have participated
and provided information from their experience with
qualifying and developing the technology
➢ The main technology providers in Norway, Archer
and Hydrawell also contributed with their insight

Link: Technology and methods for permanent plugging on the NCS (ptil.no)
PTIL/PSA
 2022 Survey of Temporary Plugged and
abandoned wells (Bi-yearly survey)
Changes 2020 – 2022
➢ Total number of wells in 2022 is lower than the
preceding years (227 compared to 268).
➢ The reduction of 41 wells compared to 2020 is
mainly caused by permanently plugging &
abandonment of wells.
➢ The number of orange and red wells are also
positively reduced with 7 wells compared to 2020.

PTIL/PSA
 Definitions
Temporarily plugged and abandoned wells are classified as “with monitoring” or “without monitoring» »
according to NORSOK D-010, 10.5.1 as follows;

➢ “Temporary abandonment – with monitoring; Well status where the well is abandoned, and the
primary and secondary well barriers are continuously monitored and routinely tested.

➢ “Temporary abandonment – without monitoring; Well status where the well is temporary
abandoned, and the primary and secondary well barriers are not continuously monitored and routinely
tested.

As per Activity Regulations § 88, Securing of wells, the duration of the temporarily plugging and
abandonment period for wells without monitoring is maximum two (2) years for exploration wells, and
maximum three (3) years for production wells.

PTIL/PSA
 Temporary plugged & abandoned wells 2022
Overview of temporary plugged & abandoned wells 2022 on NCS

Primary and secondary well

barriers are not continuously
WITHOUT 63 46 10 6 1 monitored nor routinely tested.
MONITORING The abandonment period shall not
exceed three (3) years.

2022 227 110 100 14 3

Primary and secondary well

barriers are continuously
monitored and routinely tested.
WITH MONITORING 164 64 90 8 2 There is no time limit for this
modus.

PTIL/PSA
 Statistics – wells without monitoring Primary and secondary well barriers are
not continuously monitored nor routinely
tested. The abandonment period shall not

NCS Temporary abandoned wells 2022

exceed three (3) years.

2022 227 110 100 14 3

WITHOUT 63
MONITORING
46 10 6 1

Subsea – Platform 47 16 39 7 4 6 3 3 1

Production 33 11 27 6 3 3 2 2 1

Injection 9 5 7 1 1 3 1 1

Exploration 5 5

PTIL/PSA
 • 27 of 42 subsea production wells exceed 3-years plugging time-
Temporary limit.
• 22 of these wells are Temp. plugged after 1.1.2014
plugged wells • 4 of 5 exploration wells exceed 3 years plugging time-limit
 New Technology for more innovative P&A
➢ Equipment for monitoring of barriers (P/T) in Temporary plugged wells:
"what we can monitor, we can influence"......
• A significant number of the temporary plugged and abandoned subsea wells falls into
the category “without monitoring” (minimum requirement is yearly ROV survey or
wireless monitoring to shore ).

➢ Our focus areas within plugging & abandonment;

• sharing of learning and knowledge across the industry
• special emphasis on the qualification process for new technology and new methods
• Focus on current risk level, regulatory requirements and potential for continuous
improvement

PTIL/PSA
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