A Mathematical Programming Approach to Determine Optimal Tieback Development Concepts of Two Offshore Oil Fields in the Barents Sea

Abstract

In this paper, we present a mathematical programming approach to evaluate the conceptual study of regional integrated development for Alta-Gohta discoveries in the Barents Sea. Two alternative scenarios are investigated, the first considers to tieback Alta-Gohta to a field that is 60 km away, Johan Castberg, and the second to tieback the field to Goliat, another field at 100 km further. A sensitivity analysis in terms of CAPEX and OPEX is performed to assess the trade-off between selecting the host to be Johan Castberg or Goliat. The results indicate that the profitability and host selection for a tieback development plan of Alta-Gohta is highly dependent on the start time and the costs of the project.