Johan Sverdrup Jacket Installed
The jacket for the Johan Sverdrup riser platform has been installed, and, weighing 26,000 tons, it is the largest on the Norwegian continental shelf.
The jacket, the steel frame that will support the topside of the platform, was delivered by Kværner Verdal. It reaches 140 meters (460 feet) from the seabed, where it covers an area of 94 x 64 meters (308 x 210 feet). It is attached to the seabed by 24 poles weighing more than 9,000 tons.
The jacket is the first visible sign of the field's development. The topside is scheduled for installation next year, and production from the field is expected to start at the end of 2019.
Johan Sverdrup is one of the five largest oil fields on the Norwegian continental shelf. With expected resources of between 1.9 and 3.0 billion barrels of oil equivalents, it will also be one of the most important industrial projects in Norway over the next 50 years.
Plateau production is estimated to account for 40 percent of Norwegian Continental Shelf oil production, and the project will have an expected recovery rate of 70 percent and a field life of 50 years. Peak production will constitute 25 percent of all Norwegian petroleum production at the time.
The field is located on the Utsira Height in the North Sea, 160 kilometers west of Stavanger. Oil from the field will be piped to the Mongstad terminal in Hordaland. Gas will be transported via Statpipe to the Kårstø processing plant in North Rogaland. Water depth is around 120 meters (390 feet), with the reservoir is located at a depth of 1,900 meters (6,200 feet).
The field will be operated by electrical power generated onshore, reducing offshore emissions of climate gases by 80 to 90 percent compared to a standard development using gas turbines on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
The jacket was installed by Thialf crane vessel owned by Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC).
Earlier this year, the Johan Sverdrup partnership decided to proceed with Phase 2 of the development. 28 new wells are planned to be drilled in connection with the Phase 2 which is scheduled to come on stream in 2022. Statoil is operator for the development, which spans three licenses. Other partners include Lundin Norway, Petoro, Maersk Oil and Aker BP.
Phase 1
• Includes the development of four platforms, three subsea installations for water injection, power from shore, export pipeline for oil (Mongstad) and gas (Kårstø)
• Under development. Approximately 40 percent of the development is completed
• More than NOK 60 billion worth of contracts awarded. More than 70 percent of the suppliers with a Norwegian billing address
• CAPEX estimate: NOK 97 billion
• Break-even Phase 1: Below $20 per barrel
• Production start: late 2019
Phase 2
• Includes development of another processing platform for the field center and the Avaldsnes, Kvitsøy and Geitungen satellite areas, in addition to power from shore to the Utsira High in 2022
• Investment decision and submission of the plan for development and operation: Second half of 2018
• Investment estimate: NOK 40 – 55 billion
• Break-even price: Below $30 per barrel
• Production start: 2022
Full field
• Resource estimate: 2.0 – 3.0 billion barrels of oil equivalent
• Break-even price: below $25 per barrel.