Development

Vilje is a field in the central part of the North Sea, 20 kilometres northeast of the Alvheim field. The water depth is 120 metres. Vilje was discovered in 2003, and the plan for development for operation (PDO) was approved in 2005. The field is developed with three horizontal subsea wells tied-back to the Alvheim production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO). The production started in 2008. The Skogul field is tied-back to the Alvheim FPSO via the Vilje template.

Reservoir

Vilje produces oil from turbidite sandstone of Paleocene age in the Heimdal Formation. The reservoir is in a fan system at a depth of 2150 metres and has good quality.

Recovery strategy

The field is produced by natural water drive from the regional underlying Heimdal aquifer. The production is assisted by gas lift.

Transport

The well stream is routed by pipeline to the Alvheim FPSO, where the oil is offloaded to shuttle tankers. The gas is transported by pipeline from Alvheim to the Scottish Area Gas Evacuation (SAGE) pipeline in the UK sector.

Status

The recoverable volume estimates are significantly higher than in the original PDO, but the field is on decline with a high water cut. There is currently only one oil producer with continuous production on Vilje.