Kistos Sets Q10-A Shutdown Clock as Balder Expansion Drilling Advances

Kistos Holdings plans to cease production from the Q10-A Field in the Dutch North Sea by the end of 2027, according to the company’s latest interim report. Offshore decommissioning work is scheduled to begin in 2028.

The timetable offers an early view of forthcoming decommissioning activity in the Dutch North Sea. At the same time, Kistos is participating in continued drilling and redevelopment investment around the Balder area in the Norwegian North Sea.

Q10-A has been one of the company’s core producing assets in the Dutch North Sea since Kistos acquired interests in the region. Production during the first half of the year averaged 1,200 boe/d net to Kistos.

The field has maintained high uptime through TAQA’s host P15-D platform. Q10-A is connected to that facility through a 42 km subsea export pipeline, which carries production from the field to the host installation.

The planned end of production reflects the maturity of the Dutch North Sea asset. Operators across the basin are preparing for increasing decommissioning activity as established offshore fields move toward the end of their producing lives.

Kistos has already contracted the principal offshore resources needed for the planned work. These include a rig for well plug and abandonment operations and a heavy lift vessel that will remove the Q10-A platform jacket.

The offshore decommissioning campaign is scheduled to start in 2028, following the expected cessation of production by late 2027. The sequence places well abandonment and structural removal among the next major activities associated with the asset.

While Q10-A moves toward shutdown, Kistos remains involved in an active redevelopment and drilling program farther north. In the Norwegian North Sea, the company is a partner to Var Energi in the Balder area.

The Balder redevelopment ranks among the largest ongoing brownfield investment programs in the Norwegian North Sea. Its central offshore facility is the upgraded Jotun FPSO, which will receive production from the latest development wells.

Drilling has started on the Balder Phase VI trilateral well. First oil from Balder Phase VI is expected in December, providing the next scheduled production milestone within the broader Balder investment program.

The work does not stop with Phase VI. In June, the partners sanctioned the Balder Next New Wells project, extending the program with another set of wells planned for connection to the Jotun FPSO.

Balder Next New Wells will connect seven new wells in the southern part of the Balder Field to the upgraded production vessel. First production from the project is expected by the end of 2027.

The two project schedules put Balder Phase VI first oil ahead of the subsequent Balder Next New Wells startup. They also show how the partners are advancing infill drilling and tieback projects around an established offshore production center.

For Kistos, the activity presents two different stages of offshore asset management. Q10-A is approaching the end of production and a contracted decommissioning campaign, while the Balder area is progressing through new drilling and additional connections.

The Q10-A plan now carries a defined production deadline, with output expected to finish by late 2027. It also has an offshore work schedule beginning in 2028 and contracts covering well abandonment and platform jacket removal.

In Norway, drilling on the Phase VI trilateral well is already underway, with first oil targeted for December. The seven wells included in Balder Next New Wells are then expected to support another production startup by the end of 2027.