Equinor’s Askeladd Vest subsea field in the Barents Sea started production on 19 September.
Operator Equinor and Vår Energi, one of the partners in the project, announced production from the new field offshore Norway on 23 September.
Partners reached final investment decision on the $323 million Askeladd Vest project in 2021. Two gas production wells in a new well template tie the field back to the nearby Askelaad field, which went online in 2022.
Askelaad, Askeladd Vest, and Albatross are satellite fields to the Snøhvit project. Recoverable volumes from Askeladd Vest total about 15 Bcm of gas. Askeladd Vest is part of Equinor’s original phased development and operation plan for Snøhvit, which is between 310- and 340-m water depth and initially started production in 2007.
Aker Solutions provided the subsea template and a pair of trees for Askeladd Vest. TechnipFMC handled pipelaying and subsea installation services. German manufacturer Butting supplied pipe, while Nexans supplied umbilicals.
In a news release, Grete B. Haaland, Equinor's senior vice president for exploration and production north, called Askeladd Vest an important step in the development of the Snøhvit field and said it will help maintain full production at Hammerfest LNG on Melkøya island until onshore compression starts as part of the Snøhvit Future project in 2028.
The Hammerfest LNG facility produces 6.5 Bcm of gas per year.
Equinor operates the project with 36.79% interest on behalf of partners Petoro with 30% interest, TotalEnergies EP Norge with 18.4% interest, Vår with 12% interest, and Harbour Energy Norge with 2.81% interest.
