Offshore staff
SANDNES, Norway — Vår Energi’s Balder X redevelopment project in the Norwegian North Sea is on track for first oil in third-quarter 2024, the company said in its latest results review.
The engineering scope is close to completion, most equipment packages are at the yard, and various heavy lifts have recently been completed (torsion box, helideck and pedestal cranes).
Subsea equipment has been installed on the seabed, and drilling is advancing with four wells completed at the end of last year. All producing wells should be completed prior to first oil to support a swift production ramp-up.
Production from the Balder Field had risen by 4,000 boe/d following the restoration of production from shut-in wells, although rates have been temporarily restricted following identification last week of a potential riser integrity issue.
Elsewhere in the North Sea, Vår’s production rose by 6,000 boe/d during fourth-quarter 2022 thanks largely to new wells coming online at the Snorre Field and repairs to a compressor at the Sleipner Field.
This year the company plans to drill eight exploration wells (four operated) and three contingent wells targeting in total more than 50 MMboe of risked resources.
It has also started to implement a decarbonization plan, one priority being electrification of the Balder Area before 2030.
02.16.2023
