First oil from the delayed Brynhild field in the Norwegian North Sea has finally been achieved, a year after it was first due on stream, says operator Lundin Petroleum.
The field, which started production on Christmas Day, in production license 148, is a subsea tie-back to Haewene Brim FPSO, which produces the Shell-operated UK North Sea Pierce field, 38km from Brynhild.
Image: The Haewene Brim at Global Energy Group's Cromarty Firth Yard, Scotland, in 2013.
In August, Lundin CEO Ashley Heppenstall hit out at "frustrating" delays on an upgrade to the Haewene Brim to enable to Brynhild tie-back, saying that Shell and FPSO operator Bluewater had been unable to complete the FPSO-related workscope on schedule and that low productivity levels and continued workscope changes meant he had low confidence the Q3 2014 first oil date would be met. The field had been due on stream at the end of 2013, since when the oil price has halved.
Brynhild, operated and 90% owned by Lundin, is estimated to contain 23.1MMboe gross reserves and production is currently in excess of the forecast gross plateau rate of 12,000 bo/d.
Lundin says drilling of the third development well is ongoing and the fourth and final development well will be completed in 2015.
The FPSO's modification and upgrade program, carried out in the Cromarty Firth, Scotland, included upgrading topside heaters and metering systems, installing upgraded subsea control systems, refurbishing a gas turbine and replacing risers.
For Lundin, Brynhild is the first of four development projects scheduled to come onstream over the next four quarters and which, by the end of 2015, are forecast to increase Lundin Petroleum's production level to more than 75,000 boe/d.
Talisman Energy Norge is Lundin's partner on Brynhild with 10% interest.
The Hæwene Brim was converted from a shuttle tanker to an FPSO at the Aker McNulty yard in Newcastle in late 1997-1998, and started operating at the Pierce field early in 1999.
The Haewene Brim last drydocked at A&P Tyne’s number 5 dock on Tyneside, England, in 2004, for the addition of a water injection stopides module and hull maintenance, led by a partnership between A&P Tyne and McNulty Offshore Contractors.
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