Statoil submits development plan for Byrding discovery

Statoil ASA has submitted a plan for development and operation (PDO) for the 2005 Byrding discovery to Norwegian authorities, and said recoverable volumes are estimated at 11 million boe.

Byrding, previously known as Astero, lies in 360 m of water on Block 35/11 about 3.8 km north of Fram field.

The reservoir is about 3,100 m below the ocean surface, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, which also said the 35/11-13 discovery well was appraised by the 35/11-14 well in 2006.

NPD said development of Byrding “has been considered multiple times” in the past 10 years.

The plan includes a duo-lateral well drilled from the existing Fram H-Nord subsea template. The duo-lateral well is expected to be 7 km long, with the first kilometers shared by the two laterals.

Oil and gas will flow to the Troll C platform for partial processing and then sent onshore by existing pipelines to Mongstad and Kollsnes.

Statoil and NPD said it was another example using existing systems for the development of a discovery.

Capital expenditures are estimated at 1 billion kroner, down from initial estimates of 3.5 billion kroner.

The development is expected to come on stream in third-quarter 2017, with production lasting as long as 10 years. An estimate of peak production in 2017 and 2018 is about 8,000 boe/d.

Byrding is within PL 090 B. Operator Statoil has 45%, Wintershall Norge AS 25%, Idemitsu Petroleum Norge AS 15%, and Engie E&P Norge 15%.