A plan for development and operation (PDO) of the Heidrun North field in the Norwegian Sea has been submitted by operator Statoil.
Sent to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, this programme envisages a start to production drilling on 15 August.
Heidrun North is an oil reservoir with a gas cap in block 6507/8, north-east of Statoil's existing Heidrun field. Recoverable reserves are put at roughly 25 million barrels of oil.
Developing this structure forms part of the Heidrun plateau project, which covers a unitised development of the reservoir's northern flank.
Heidrun currently produces some 210,000 barrels per day, and the project will allow it to remain at this plateau for about four more years. The field is expected to produce until 2020.
A total of 11 wells are included in the programme, reports project director Harald Mork. These include one producer and one injector on Heidrun North, which will be tied back to the Heidrun tension leg platform.
Process facilities on this installation will also be modified. Laying a gas pipeline to tie into the Åsgard Transport trunkline also forms part of the Heidrun plateau.
Operated by Statoil, Åsgard Transport comes into operation on 1 October to carry gas for sale to continental Europe.
The Heidrun plateau project is expected to cost just over NOK 5.5 billion and will be completed this year.