Equinor places Breidablikk on stream ahead of schedule

Equinor Energy AS started production from Breidablikk field in the North Sea today, Oct. 20.

Tied back to the Equinor-operated Grane platform, the subsea field holds almost 200 million bbl of recoverable oil, partner Vår Energi said in a release Oct. 20.

The field is expected to produce at plateau level in 2024 to 2026. Plateau production is estimated at gross 55,000-60,000 boe/d.  

Discovered in 1992, Breidablikk lies in the central part of the North Sea, 10 km northeast of Grane, in 130 m water depth. 

The project has taken just over 3 years to complete, following the plan for development and operation (PDO) submission in September 2020. The original plan was to begin production from five wells in first-quarter 2024. The project is on stream ahead of schedule and the number of wells drilled has increased to eight, adding extra production potential. The remaining wells will be drilled and completed by end-2025.   

Breidablikk is being developed with 22 subsea wells drilled from four templates. Pipelines and cables have been installed between the subsea facility and the Grane platform, which has been modified to receive the well stream.

Oil from Breidablikk is processed on Grane and sent ashore by pipeline to the Sture terminal in Øygarden. 

Equinor is operator of the field with 39% interest. Partners are Vår Energi ASA (34.4%), Petoro (22.2%), and ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS (4.4%).