The Heimdal Gas Centre in block 25/4 is a processing and distribution hub for gas. It consists of a process platform and a riser platform.
Heimdal is a gas field west of Stord in the northern part of the North Sea, north of Johan Sverdrup and south of Oseberg, near the border with the UK continental shelf.
The current Heimdal partners are Equinor (29.4% - operator), Petoro (20.0%), TotalEnergies E&P Norge (16.7%), Spirit Energy Norway (28.8%) and LOTOS Exploration and Production Norge (5.0%).
The Heimdal field was discovered in 1972 and production started in 1986. French oil company Elf was the operator from start-up. The development of Heimdal, along with gas exports from Statfjord and Gullfaks, formed the basis for establishing Statpipe, the cornerstone in the Norwegian gas transport system.
A total of 46 billion Sm3 of gas and 7 million Sm3 of oil have been produced from the Heimdal field. After the main part of the gas reserves in the Heimdal-reservoir itself had been produced towards the end of the 1990s, the field was modified to receive and process gas from the Huldra, Vale and Byggve/Skirne fields. Gas from Atla and Valemon has also subsequently been routed to the field.
A riser platform was installed in connection with the main platform from 1985, in connection with tie-in and gas processing for the new fields. This platform also receives dry gas from Oseberg which, along with the gas processed at Heimdal, is exported in Statpipe and Vesterled to the Continent and the UK, respectively. The condensate is sent by pipeline to the Brae platform in the UK sector, and from there onward in the Forties Pipeline System to shore facilities in the United Kingdom.
The Heimdal operatorship was transferred from Elf to Norsk Hydro when the platform was modified into a gas processing centre. The riser platform is currently owned by Gassled and Gassco is the operator.
Production from the fields that process gas at Heimdal is declining. The Heimdal owners and users have decided to shut down operations in June 2023. The gas from Oseberg will no longer be routed via the riser platform at Heimdal, but will instead utilise a new bypass on the seabed that links the gas pipe from Oseberg with Statpipe and Vesterled. The two platforms at Heimdal will be taken ashore for demolition.