Norway’s state-owned energy company Equinor has secured the approval for the start-up of the Breidablikk field located in the central part of the North Sea.
The approval has been granted by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), with production expected to begin in October this year.
In September 2020, Equinor submitted a plan for the development and operation (PDO) of the Breidablikk field to the Minister of Petroleum and Energy, which was approved in 2021.
The development of the field is estimated to require NOK18.6bn ($1.9bn) investment.
Equinor projects, drilling and procurement executive vice president Arne Sigve Nylund then said: “We are very pleased that the authorities have approved the development plans for the Breidablikk field.
“The development of one of the largest undeveloped oil discoveries on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) will create substantial value for Norwegian society and the owners, while securing high activity and jobs for many years ahead.”
Breidablikk is an oil field located 10km northeast of the Grane field, west of Haugesund, jointly owned by Vår, ConocoPhillips, Petoro and Equinor, which is also the operator.
It is one of the largest oil discoveries on the NCS, with an estimated reserve of around 30 million standard cubic metres of recoverable oil, which is equivalent to 200 million barrels.
The Breidablikk field is planned to be developed with a subsea solution containing 23 oil-producing wells from four subsea templates, tied back to the Grane platform for processing.
The Norwegian energy company will leverage high-tech digital tools from its integrated operations centre at Sandsli, to monitor the production from the field.
