Norway's Statoil has awarded hook-up and commissioning contracts for the first phase of the giant Johan Sverdrup field to Aibel and Aker Solutions, it said January 31. The contracts are worth just under NKr1.3bn ($156mn), net of options. The scope of work for the riser platform accounts for an estimated 70% of the total scope committed in both contracts.

“These contacts are the last construction contracts in Phase 1 of the Johan Sverdrup development. The competent supplier team now in place will help us develop a project for several generations on the Norwegian continental shelf. Norwegian suppliers have demonstrated competiveness, and have together landed more than 70% of all awarded Johan Sverdrup contracts,” says Margareth Ovrum, Statoil’s executive vice president for technology, projects and drilling.

Aibel has been awarded the contract for hook-up and commissioning of the drilling platform on the Johan Sverdrup field centre in 2018. Aker Solutions has been awarded the contract for hook-up and commissioning of the riser platform on the field centre in 2018. Both contracts include an option for hook-up and commissioning of the processing and accommodation platforms in 2019.

In the first phase the jackets, platforms, wells, subsea equipment, export pipelines and power from shore will be hooked up to form a fully functioning field centre that will come on stream in late 2019. Johan Sverdrup (platform pictured) has reserves of at least 1.9bn barrels of oil equivalent and is one of the largest oil discoveries made on the Norwegian continental shelf. The gas will be processed at Karsto.

(Credit: Statoil)

Two mobile accommodation facilities in addition to the Johan Sverdrup accommodation platform combined have the capacity to accommodate more than 1,200 people offshore. 

The Johan Sverdrup commissioning will be the most complex and extensive commissioning project offshore that Statoil has ever been responsible for over its 40 years as an operator on the NCS. It will be demanding, but we have solved complex tasks before with our suppliers,” says Kjetel Digre, project director for Johan Sverdrup.