Equinor and its partners have secured approval from the Norwegian authorities for their plan for development and operation (PDO) of the Breidablikk field in the North Sea.
The partners will invest around NOK18.6bn ($2.17bn) to develop the offshore field, which is slated to begin production in the first half of 2024.
Equinor is partnered by Petoro, ConocoPhillips Skandinavia, and Vår Energi in the Breidablikk field, which is located northeast of the Grane field.
The partners had submitted the PDO in September 2020 with an aim to recover an estimated 200 million barrels of oil from an area of nearly 37km2.
Equinor projects, drilling and procurement executive vice president Arne Sigve Nylund said: “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.”
The Breidablikk field development calls for the implementation of a subsea solution of 23 oil producing wells from four subsea templates. The field is contained in a water depth of around 130m.
Breidablikk will be tied back to the Equinor-operated Grane platform where the oil will be processed prior to being sent through a 211km long pipeline to the Sture terminal in Øygarden municipality.
Equinor said that high-tech digital tools used at its integrated operations centre at Sandsli will monitor the production at the Breidablikk field.
The Breidablikk project will have a separate cable for delivering electric power and fibre optic communication from the Grane platform.
Among the key contractors for the Breidablikk field development is Aker Solutions, which is responsible for the subsea production facilities. Wood will carry out the necessary modifications and upgrade of the Grane platform to enable production from the new field.
On the other hand, TechnipFMC will carry out pipelaying and subsea installation services for the project.
Equinor exploration and production Norway executive vice president Kjetil Hove said: “There are still large resources left in the ground and we have a world-class infrastructure on the NCS.
“The Breidablikk development shows how a competent Norwegian petroleum industry keeps developing innovative, cost-effective and future-oriented solutions with good social economy.”
