Our Arctic Neighbors: Eni must collect climate data in Barents Sea

Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority orders company to make observations at Goliat oil field due to unusual weather conditions

Sarah Hurst

For Petroleum News

Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority has ordered Eni Norge, the operator of the Goliat oil field in the Barents Sea, to implement collection and real-time reporting of meteorological and oceanographic data during production drilling and the production period on the field, the authority said in a July 3 release.

The authority said that Eni’s plan for development and operation of Goliat did not include plans for the data collection and reporting.

The Norwegian government and parliament recently approved Eni’s plan for development and operation, and the project’s startup is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2013. It will be the first oil field development in the Barents Sea.

The authority also ordered Eni to take “near real-time measurements of the current using a high-frequency coastal radar or some other satisfactory method … during the production period. The data shall be reported to the Meteorological Institute.”

The objective of the order is to improve the data basis for forecasting weather and oceanographic conditions at and around Goliat

“It will also contribute, indirectly, to achieving a better foundation for understanding the climate in the area,” the authority said.

The authority has asked Eni to submit any comments it may have regarding the notification by July 10.

“Goliat is located in an area with unique meteorological phenomena,” the authority said. “Most low-pressure fronts come in over the Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and Scotland, but some low-pressure fronts are created in the air in the interface between the ice-covered sea (with air temperatures perhaps as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius) and the warmer open sea (with temperatures around 0 degrees Celsius). This creates winds that can be compared to cyclones in warmer climates. They are small in size and fast-moving — much faster than normal low-pressure fronts in our part of the world.

“Because of the poor observation network in the area and the unique properties of these storms, they are difficult to forecast. This creates challenges in relation to planning and executing operations.”

A regular observation service should be established from the Goliat field, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute said in response to a question from the authority.