Vår Energi initiates tow out of the Jotun floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) from the Worley Rosenberg yard to the Balder field - on schedule for production start by the end of the second quarter this year.
'As one of the fastest growing oil and gas companies globally, we are set for transformative growth in 2025, and are on track to reach above 400 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (kboepd) in the fourth quarter. Balder X is a key element to this plan and once the Jotun FPSO comes on stream, production from the field will be close to quadrupled, adding around 80 kboepd gross at peak.
Balder X, with a payback time of around two years, including the sanctioned Balder Phase V project, marks the start of a new era in the North Sea, extending the lifetime of the first production licence PL001 on the Norwegian Continental Shelf to 2045 and beyond, and opens a wide potential for continued value creation', says Nick Walker, CEO in Vår Energi.
Photo: Vår Energi
The Balder X project develops gross proved plus probable (2P) reserves of 150 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe). In addition, with the Jotun FPSO installed as an area host, Vår Energi is taking necessary steps to add new production through infill drilling, exploration and tie-back developments with short time to market.
'We have continued to grow our resource base through successful exploration in the area and are stepping up the pace, moving several tie-back projects forward at speed to capitalise on the Jotun FPSO. This will sustain production longer term and includes Balder Phase V, planned to come on stream later this year, and Balder Phase VI expected to be sanctioned in 2025, together adding a further 45-50 mmboe gross', Torger Rød, COO in Vår Energi explains.
Also, in the Greater Balder area several new early phase projects are being progressed towards sanction, including Ringhorne North, Balder future phases and the King discovery, targeting gross contingent resources of more than 70 mmboe. While these projects are being moved forward, further exploration drilling is planned to unlock considerable additional resources.
The Jotun FPSO also creates an opportunity to optimise the infrastructure in the area, including taking the Balder floating production unit (FPU) to shore for decommissioning, and the planned electrification of the Balder/Grane Area, reducing unit production cost and carbon emissions for the company.
The tow out program for the Jotun FPSO from Worley Rosenberg yard in Stavanger includes a number of stages: First, the FPSO vessel will perform inclination tests at the quayside before being towed to Åmøyfjorden, near Stavanger, for inshore sea trials and anchor installation work. After this, the vessel will be towed to the field for installation, hook-up to the installed subsea production systems and final commissioning. All 14 production wells are completed, and production is planned to start by the end of the second quarter 2025, with an expected three to four months ramp up period to peak production.
Vår Energi is operator (90%) of the Balder field, with Kistos Energy Norway AS as partner (10%).
Source: Vår Energi
