Norwegian oil firm Equinor said Wednesday its plans for the development and operation of the subsea fields Irpa and Verdande, and the production well Andvare in the Norwegian Sea have been approved by Norwegian authorities.
The gas field Irpa will be tied back to the Aasta Hansteen platform. The offshore oil field Verdande and the Andvare well will be tied back to Norne platform.
"We are experiencing a strong demand for oil and gas from the Norwegian continental shelf in the current geopolitical situation. By utilizing the Aasta Hansteen and Norne infrastructures, these development projects will quickly bring new production to market with low development costs, while extending the activity on the host platforms," says Trond Bokn, Equinor's senior vice president for project development.
The Irpa gas volumes may supply just over 2.3 million UK households with gas for seven years, Equinor said.
The gas discovery is located almost 80 kilometres from the Aasta Hansteen field, and the development will extend the field’s productive life by seven years, up to 2039. The discovery also supports the 350 person-years of employment (direct and indirect) associated with the operation of Aasta Hansteen during this period, Equinor said.
Irpa development illustration - Credit: Equinor
Irpa, the second subsea field tied back to Aasta Hansteen, will be the deepest field on the Norwegian continental shelf, at 1350 meters.
It was recently announced that Westcon Helgeland will deliver large parts of the Irpa subsea facility as a TechnipFMC subcontractor. Momek in Mo i Rana is a subcontractor of Aibel, responsible for modifying the platform for Irpa gas tie-in.
Verdande, an oil discovery with some associated gas, will be tied back to Norne. Here, too, the field’s productive life will be extended by several years, which helps support the 900 person-years of employment (direct and indirect) associated with the operation of the Norne field, Equinor said.
Equinor, on behalf of the partners, recently awarded a contract to Aibel where most of the work will be performed by Aibel's M&M community in Harstad, which will also use other subcontractors in the north.
Aibel will also make modifications to the FPSO related to Andvare, a well that will be drilled as a side-track from one of the existing subsea templates on the Norne field.
“For Equinor and our partners, it is important that our activity in the north also has ripple effects here, and the projects will also result in increased and prolonged activity at the logistics base in Sandnessjøen and the helicopter base in Brønnøysund," says Bokn.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy today celebrated the approval of a number of new projects on the Norwegian continental shelf. In addition to being the operator of Irpa, Verdande and Andvare, Equinor is also a partner in Yggdrasil, Berling, Skarv Satellitter and Symra.