In one month, the vessels Edda Freya and Normand Vision installed 14 subsea templates, delivered by Aker Solutions and TechnipFMC, at four fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf: Askeladd, Johan Castberg, the Snorre Expansion Project, and Troll Phase 3. Equinor said that, after seeing a significant increase in the price level for subsea equipment in recent years, standardization and simplification have become important factors in making subsea systems financially competitive.
Troll is the largest gas field on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), containing approximately 40% of its total gas reserves. Phase 3 of the development, which was approved by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in December, aims to extend the productive life of the field beyond 2050. Beyond the installation of the templates, the development plan includes the laying of a 36-in. pipeline and the installation of a new processing module on the Troll A platform.
The Snorre Expansion Project aims to increase recovery from the Snorre field by nearly 200 million bbl and extend the field’s life beyond 2040. Scheduled to start production in 2021, the project includes upgrades to the Snorre A facility and the import of gas to improve oil recovery from the field. The facilities will increase Snorre’s recovery rate from its current 46% to 51%.
The Askeladd development will supply 21 billion m3 of gas and 2 million m3 of condensate to Hammerfest LNG, with production scheduled to come on stream towards the end of 2020. First oil at Johan Castburg is scheduled for 2020.