Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway — Equinor has brought onstream Phase 1 of the Askeladd gas-condensate development in the Barents Sea.
This will produce 18 Bcm of gas and 2 MMcm of condensate via a subsea tieback to the Snøhvit Field facilities, with production heading to the Hammerfest LNG plant on Melkøya Island.
Askeladd’s gas should help extend plateau production from Hammerfest LNG by up to three years, said Thor Johan Haave, Equinor’s vice president of operations and maintenance for the complex.
During normal operations, the plant is designed to deliver 18.4 MMcm/d of gas, about 5% of Norway’s total gas exports.
Although Phase 1 of Askeladd was completed in 2020, startup had to be held back until repairs had been completed at Melkøya, following damage that year caused by a fire.
The development was NOK650 million (US$64.95 million) below the budgeted figure of NOK5.2 billion (US$520 million). Equinor’s next planned subsea tie-in is the two-well Askeladd West project, followed by the addition of onshore compression and electrification through the Snøhvit Future project.
The Askeladd Field is 180 km offshore northern Norway. Phase 1 comprises three wells on two subsea templates, in turn connected via a pipeline and umbilical to Snøhvit in the central Hammerfest basin.
Snøhvit licensees are Equinor Energy ASA (36.79%), Petoro AS (30%), TotalEnergies EP Norge AS (18.4%), Neptune Energy Norge AS (12%) and Wintershall DEA Norge AS (2.81%).
12.12.2022
