Production back on stream at the Njord field in Norway

Production from the Njord field in the Norwegian Sea resumed on 27 December, following an upgrading project in which both the platform and the floating storage and offloading vessel (FSO) were brought ashore.

“I am proud that we and our partners, Wintershall Dea and Neptune Energy, have now got this truly unique project across the finish line. This is the first time a platform and a FSO have been disconnected from the field, upgraded, and towed back, and we have now doubled the field’s life. It has been a big and challenging job, partly performed during a pandemic, and I want to thank everyone who has contributed. The Njord field will now deliver important volumes to the market for another two decades," says Geir Tungesvik, Equinor's executive vice president for Projects, Drilling & Procurement.

Coming on stream in 1997, the Njord installations were initially designed to remain in operation until 2013. However, there were large volumes left in the ground, in addition to discoveries nearby, such as Hyme which came into operation in 2013, and others that can be produced and exported via Njord.

The platform and FSO were brought ashore in 2016 after 19 years of production. In 2017 and 2018, upgrading contracts were awarded for the two installations. The Njord A platform was upgraded at Stord, where it was constructed in the 90s. The Njord Bravo FSO was inspected prior to upgrade and prepared for tow-out in Kristiansund, whereas the refurbishment was carried out in Haugesund.

“Our ambition is to produce about the same volume from Njord and Hyme as we have produced so far, more than 250 million barrels of oil equivalent," says Kjetil Hove, Equinor's executive vice president for Exploration & Production Norway.

Neptune Energy’s Managing Director for Norway and the UK, Odin Estensen, said: ““Njord coming onstream increases Neptune’s production in Norway by 10 kboepd. The platform is also preparing to receive production from three new subsea tie-back fields – Hyme and Bauge, and the Neptune-operated Fenja field early in 2023, extending the operating life of the Njord field. This represents a significant investment by Neptune on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, and further demonstrates our commitment to growing the business in Norway."

10 new wells will be drilled at Njord from an upgraded drilling facility, new discoveries have been made at the outer edges of Njord, and more exploration will be carried out in the surrounding area. In addition, the platform and FSO have been prepared to receive production from two new subsea fields, Bauge and Fenja, with a total of 110 million barrels of recoverable resources.

“The Njord field is a key asset in our portfolio in Norway as it brings us even closer to our production target of 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day on the Norwegian shelf. This project ties in closely with our strategy of focusing investment in core areas where we see potential for extra synergies. The return of the Njord field will unlock potential for exploration in the surrounding waters, as well as a hub for tie-back fields already discovered,” said Michael Zechner, Managing Director of Wintershall Dea Norge.

“This is illustrative of our strategic work on the NCS to extend the fields’ productive life and tying back new discoveries to existing infrastructure, while reducing the climate footprint from the production," said Hove.

According to plans the Njord field will in a few years receive power from shore via the Draugen platform in the Norwegian Sea and be partially electrified. This will reduce the annual CO2 emissions by about 130,000 tonnes.