Aker BP updates North Sea Ula late-life studies, Hanz project progress

Offshore staff

LYSAKER, Norway — Aker BP has budgeted capex of about $5 billion this year for its E&P interests offshore Norway, the company said in a results statement.

Production should average in the range 410 MMboe/d to 440 MMboe/d, at a cost of ~$7/boe. The company has set aside about $500 million for exploration and $250 million for decommissioning.

In the southern Norwegian North Sea (Ula area), the partners have committed to drill a side-track well on Tambar late in 2024, with it coming onstream in 2025. Studies continue on extending safe and profitable operations at Ula through cessation of production in 2028. In parallel, a field decommissioning study is devising a work program for well plugging and platform removal.

The Valhall Field is located in the southern part of the Norwegian sector in the North Sea.

Nearby at the Valhall Field, the jackup Noble Invincible recently completed an infill well on Valhall Flank North and workovers of two other wells in the area. It has since moved south to the old Hod A platform for a second phase of permanent P&A activity on eight wells.

First oil from Aker BP’s Hanz tieback to the Ivar Aasen platform should flow in April. The production well has been drilled, operations continue on the water injection well, and the associated preparation of marine operations and topside commissioning is underway.

Drilling also continues at Johan Sverdrup, operated by Equinor, both from the field center and the subsea templates, with the total number of producing wells now at 31. A further eight oil production wells should go online during 2024, and Equinor is working to mature more infill and subsea wells.

Oil production ramped up last year to 755,000 bbl/d following successful testing of the Phase 2 facilities in conjunction with the existing facilities. Equinor expects to be able to maintain that level until late 2024 or early 2025.

Johan Sverdrup is the third largest oil field on the Norwegian shelf, with expected resources of 2.7 Bboe, according to Aker BP.

Lastly, at the Aker BP-operated Skarv complex in the Norwegian Sea two new infill wells will be drilled later this year to offset production declines.

Skarv is a field in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea. The field has been developed with an FPSO, and Aker BP says it has one of the world’s largest offshore gas processing plants on this type of facility.

As for the Skarv Satellite Project encompassing the gas and condensate discoveries Alve Nord, Idun Nord and Ørn (collectively delivering 120 MMboe through the Skarv FPSO from 2027), construction has started of the subsea facilities in Sandnessjøen and Gdansk.

The subsea rock installation campaign ended late last year and installation of the flotel bridge landing on the Skarv FPSO has begun.

02.08.2024