Hookup operations have started at the Johan Castberg oilfield development in the Barents Sea, following anchoring of the FPSO at the offshore location.
Operator Equinor expects production to start towards the end of the year, building potentially to a peak of 220,000 b/d during the field’s 30-year productive lifespan.
Castberg, comprising the 2011-2013 discoveries Skrugard, Havis and Drivis, holds estimated recoverable volumes of 450-650 MMbbl.
So far, 13 of the planned 30 development wells have been drilled. Ten subsea templates and two satellites will be tied back to the FPSO.
Nick Walker, ceo of Equinor’s partner Vår Energi, said startup of the project would help his company achieve its own target of around 400,000 boe/d from its interests on the Norwegian continental shelf by the end of 2025.
“Together with the license partners we are working to further develop the area. This includes, additional infill development wells, maturing five existing discoveries to be tied back to Johan Castberg and plans for further exploration activities in the coming years.”
Vegard Bruaset, VP-Barents Sea at Vår Energi, added: “Building on our unique experience as operator for the neighboring Goliat field, we are set to capture new opportunities through exploration and development of new discoveries in the area.
“We are accelerating our drilling activity and will be participating in a total of 12 production and exploration wells in the Barents Sea this year.”
Johan Castberg, 240 km northwest of Hammerfest, northern Norway, is also 100 km northwest of Equinor’s Snøhvit field, in 370 m of water.
The FPSO is 313 m long, 55 m wide and 120 m tall, with a storage capacity of 1.1 MMbbl of oil.
