Balder

Production and handling

Balder is the very first field on the Norwegian continental shelf to be developed by means of a permanent, floating production vessel. The field is located in the North Sea, approximately 190 km west of Stavanger. Field development was approved by authorities in 1996 and production began in Oct 1999. Recoverable oil reserves are estimated at 170 million barrels. Current output is ~135 kbd of which ExxonMobil markets ~40 kbd. 

The bulk of Balder reserves are located in license 001 (block 25/11) and ExxonMobil is operator and sole licensee. The field has an extension of approx. 6x10 km with a water depth of 127m. 

Typical cargo size is 500 kb. 

Load Port Data

The Balder FPSO, located approximately 190 km west of Stavanger, is a specially constructed production and storage vessel that Esso acquired from Smedvig in Nov 95. The vessel is connected to 15 producers and injectors on the seabed. 

All of the 15 wells are drilled and completed using a semisubmersible drilling rig. Storage capacity on the FPU is 380,000 bbls. 

Typical characteristics

Balder is a relatively heavy, naphthenic, regular sulfur crude oil similar in quality to Alba, Harding and Captain. It produces low cetane, high-density gasoil and a large resid cut.

• Gravity 26.4
• Sulfur 0.64%
• Loading Port Balder FPSO

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