The plans for development and operation (PDO) of Njord and Bauge in the Norwegian Sea have now been approved by the authorities.

The Njord A platform and the Njord Bravo floating storage and offloading vessel (FSO) will be upgraded to recover the remaining resources in the Njord and Hyme fields, whereas Bauge is a new field development to be tied in to the Njord A platform.

“We are pleased that the authorities have now approved the plans for Njord and Bauge, two important fields on the Norwegian continental shelf. The investments, totalling NOK 20 billion, will trigger high activities and spin-offs for the Norwegian society and Norwegian supply industry,” says Torger Rød, Statoil’s head of project development in Statoil.

The remaining resources on the Njord and Hyme field total 175 million barrels of oil equivalent. This corresponds to the reserves produced from the Njord field since first oil in in 1997. In addition, 73 million barrels of oil equivalent will be produced from Bauge.

On behalf of the partnerships in the Njord, Hyme and Bauge licences plans for the development and operation of the Njord and Bauge fields were submitted to Norwegian authorities on 27 March this year.

The original PDO for the Njord field was submitted more than 20 years ago. The field will now produce for another twenty years, and the partnership has decided to upgrade and reuse both the Njord A platform and the Njord Bravo FSO.

The Bauge field development concept includes one subsea template, two oil producers and one water inject.

“Kværner at Stord has been awarded the contract for upgrading the platform and work facilitating the tie-in of Bauge and potential future third-party tie-ins,” says Rød.

“Njord remaining on stream until 2040 is important for our specialist communities in Kristiansund and Stjørdal, as well as the mid-Norway supply industry. An upgraded field centre and new infrastructure at Njord also allows for the development of other fields in the area,” says Siri Espedal Kindem, senior vice president, Operations North, Development and Production Norway.

Next year the Njord partners will award the contract for upgrading the Njord Bravo FSO. First oil is scheduled for the end of 2020.

Facts about Njord - upgrading of existing platform

- First oil in 1997
- Njord was on stream from 1997-2016, and 54 wells were drilled
- 10 new production wells are planned on the field
- In 2016 the Njord A platform and the Njord Bravo FSO were towed ashore, to Stord and Kristansund, respectively
- Reserves: 175 million oil equivalent
- Capital expenditures: NOK 15.7 billion

Partners: Statoil (operator) 20%, Engie E&P Norge AS 20%, DEA Norge AS 50%, Faroe Petroleum 7.5% and VNG Norge AS 2.5%.

Facts Bauge - new field

- The discovery is located some 16 kilometres north-east of the selected tie-in platform, Njord A
- The development concept includes one subsea template, two oil producers, one water injector
- Reserves: 73 million oil equivalent
- Capital expenditures: NOK 4.1 billion

Partners: Statoil (operator) 35%, ENGIE E&P Norge AS 10%, Point Resources AS 17.5%, DEA Norge AS 27.5%, Faroe Petroleum Norge AS 7.5%, VNG Norge AS 2.5%

About Statoil

Statoil ASA (OSE: STL, NYSE: STO) is an international energy company with operations in 36 countries. Building on 40 years of experience from oil and gas production on the Norwegian continental shelf, we are committed to accommodating the world's energy needs in a responsible manner, applying technology and creating innovative business solutions. We are headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, with approximately 23,000 employees worldwide, and are listed on the Oslo and New York stock exchanges.