Offshore Staff
STAVANGER, Norway — Equinor has submitted a complementary assessment for the Wisting oil project in the Barents Sea, providing more details on how the field can be safely developed and operated in the far-north location.
It provides additional details on the potential impact in terms of year-round activities, environmental risks, oil spill contingency, and use of the best available techniques for field development and operations.
Trond Bokn, senior vice president for project management control, said, “The impact assessment, public consultation processes, and the complementary assessment have so far not brought to light any information which changes our view that developing Wisting is technically and environmentally appropriate.
“The work on technical studies and detailing of plans for the development of the project will continue towards the planned investment decision at the end of 2022.”
Equinor will submit the plan for development and operation (PDO) to Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, including the full decision-making basis.
According to the company, the Wisting development concept is well adapted to the conditions in the Barents Sea, with a proposal for power from shore.
Equinor will adapt the installation and operations safety for winterization conditions. The circular FPSO will be engineered to endure ice conditions that statistically can occur once every 10,000 years, with ice monitoring systems so that operations can be modified if the ice encroaches within 50 km of the installation.
Development drilling is due to take place throughout the year, and activity will be scheduled so as to minimize environmental risk, with no drilling through oil-bearing layers during the most vulnerable month for seabirds.
Or alternative measures could be adopted that provide equivalent protection for seabirds, if these appear to be the best available techniques.
Conditions to be addressed in the oil spill contingency planning are adapting equipment and methodology, the number of available oil spill contingency systems, training and exercises, the strategy for dealing with oil spills, and raising preparedness during periods when damage potential could be highest in the event of a spill.
Deadline for statements on the complementary assessment is within two weeks, in compliance with the PDO guidelines.
Partners in Wisting are AkerBP, Petoro and INPEX Idemitsu Norge.
10.24.2022
