Balmoral oil field
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| Balmoral oil field | |
|---|---|
  Location of Balmoral oil field | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Region | North Sea |
| Location/block | 16/21 |
| Offshore/onshore | offshore |
| Coordinates | 58°13′45″N 1°06′31″E / 58.2292°N 1.1086°E |
| Operators | Sun Oil (1986-2004), Canadian Natural Resources (2004-07), Premier Oil (from 2007) |
| Owner | see text |
| Field history | |
| Discovery | August 1975 |
| Start of production | 1986 |
| Peak of production | 1987 |
| Abandonment | 2020 |
| Production | |
| Estimated oil in place | 68 million barrels (~8.9×106 t) |
| Recoverable oil (million tonnes) | 13.33 |
| Producing formations | Upper Paleocene and Devonian sandstones |
The Balmoral oil field is a depleted crude oil field in the UK sector of the central North Sea, 225 km north-east of Aberdeen. Oil was produced from the field reservoir by the Balmoral Floating Production Vessel (FPV) between 1986 and 2020. The Balmoral FPV also processed oil from six minor oil fields in the area. Oil production from the field has ceased.
The Balmoral oil field is located in Block 16/21 of the UK North Sea continental shelf.[1] The field was discovered in August 1975; the oil reservoir comprises Upper Paleocene and Devonian sandstones at a depth of 7,000 feet (2,100 metres).[2] The reservoir and its fluids have the following characteristics:[2]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| API gravity | 39.9°API |
| Porosity | 17-28% |
| Permeability | 3,300 md |
| Sulfur | Nil |
| Initial recoverable reserves | 68 million barrels, 13.33 million tonnes |
Owners and operators
The joint venture owners of the field in 1994 were Sun Oil Britain Ltd (62.0%), Deminex UK Oil and Gas Ltd (15.0%), Clyde Expro plc (15.0%), Pentex Oil Limited (8.0%). Sun Oil operated the Balmoral field.[1] In 2004 Canadian Natural Resources (CNR) acquired a 70.2% interest in the field; in 2007 Oilexco acquired the stake from CNR; in 2009 Premier Oil E&P UK Ltd acquired Oilexco and Premier Oil becomes the operator of the Balmoral field.[3]