Equinor announces early start of oil production from Breidablikk field

Equinor confirms the Breidablikk field in the North Sea has initiated oil production four months ahead of its anticipated schedule, and remains within the established budget. This subsea field, linked to the Grane platform, boasts nearly 200 million barrels of recoverable oil. The primary stakeholders of the project include Equinor as the operator, Vår Energi, Petoro, and ConocoPhillips.

Equinor Executive Speaks on Breidablikk’s Impressive Start:

Equinor’s executive vice president for Projects, Drilling & Procurement, Geir Tungesvik, commented on the achievement, “Breidablikk will come on stream four months ahead of schedule, within budget, and with higher initial production than expected… I am proud of the project delivery, and would like to thank everyone involved.”

Breidablikk field in North Sea begins production ahead of schedule. Image courtesy of Equinor ASA.

Developmental Milestones and Future Plans:

The production plan for Breidablikk, presented in September 2020, originally earmarked its commencement for the first half of 2024, encompassing the predrilling and finalization of five wells. Currently, eight wells have been successfully drilled, with plans to continue drilling additional wells on the field until 2025 concludes.

Breidablikk’s infrastructure involves 22 subsea wells extracted from four templates, coupled with the installation of pipelines and cables between the subsea facility and the Grane platform. This platform underwent modifications to accommodate the new well stream.

Beneficial Ripple Effects in Norway:

The Breidablikk project has positively impacted Norway, with over 90% of the contract value favoring suppliers possessing a Norwegian billing address. Major contributors to the project include Odfjell Drilling in Bergen, Aker Solutions, Wood Group in Sandefjord, and TechnipFMC from Orkanger. The estimated investments for the project hover around NOK 21 billion (as of 2023).

Kjetil Hove, Equinor’s executive vice president for Exploration and Production Norway, highlighted the broader impact, “Breidablikk can help to extend the productive life… At peak, Breidablikk is expected to send up to 55-60,000 barrels of oil to the market daily, mainly to Europe.”

Breidablikk’s Contribution to Oil Exports:

The Breidablikk oil will undergo processing on the Grane platform and subsequently be transported via pipeline to the Sture terminal in Øygarden. In the foreseeable future, the oil from Breidablikk will represent approximately 15% of Sture’s export figures. Breidablikk will operate in tandem with the Grane field, managed by the Equinor organization based in Sandsli, Bergen.

Breidablikk Field Overview:

The Breidablikk field, discovered in 1992, lies in the central region of the North Sea, approximately ten kilometers northeast of Grane, submerged under 130 meters of water. Its expected plateau production spans from 2024 to 2026, with estimates of 55-60,000 barrels per day.