Development

Balder is a field in the central part of the North Sea, just west of the Grane field. The water depth is 125 metres. Balder was discovered in 1967, and the initial plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 1996. The production started in 1999. The field has been developed with subsea wells tied-back to the Balder production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO). The Ringhorne deposit, located nine kilometres north of the Balder FPSO, is included in the Balder complex. Ringhorne is developed with a combined accommodation, drilling and wellhead facility, tied-back to the Balder FPSO and Jotun FPSO for processing, crude oil storage and gas export. The nearby field Ringhorne Øst is also tied-back to Balder via the Ringhorne platform. The PDO for Ringhorne Jura was approved in 2000, and the production started in 2003. The Ringhorne Vest PDO exemption was approved in 2003, and the production started in 2004. An amended PDO for Ringhorne was approved in 2007.

Reservoir

Balder, including Ringhorne, produces oil from several separate deposits in sandstone of Jurassic, Paleocene and Eocene age. Balder produces from the Heimdal and Hermod Formations as well as from the injected sand complex above them. Ringhorne produces from the Hugin, Ty and Hermod Formations. The reservoirs are of good to very good quality. The Balder reservoir is at a depth of 1700 metres and the Ringhorne reservoir at a depth of 1,900 metres.

Recovery strategy

Balder and Ringhorne produce primarily by natural aquifer drive, but reinjection of produced water is used for pressure support, especially into the Ringhorne Jurassic reservoir. Excess water is injected into the Utsira Formation. Gas is also reinjected if the gas export system is down.

Transport

The oil is transported by tankers. Excess gas from Balder and Ringhorne is exported from the Jotun FPSO through the Statpipe system to Kårstø and from there on to continental Europe.

Status

A revised PDO for Balder and Ringhorne was approved in 2020. The development plan includes lifetime extension and relocation of the Jotun FPSO, and drilling of new subsea wells. The Jotun FPSO is currently at a shipyard undergoing maintenance and upgrades. It is scheduled to be back on the field in 2024. Until then, excess gas is being injected in the Balder and Ringhorne Øst fields. Another ongoing project is aiming to utilise the available infrastructure in the area to maximise the recovery from the field.