Aker Joins Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 Study

Aker Solutions will deliver a concept study on a new processing platform for future phases of the Statoil (STO)-operated Johan Sverdrup North Sea field, Norway's largest oil find in three decades.

The study includes design solutions for a tie-in of the platform and future satellites to the field center that is being developed in the project's first phase. The work will be carried out by Aker Solutions (AKSO.OL) in Oslo and Stavanger and will be delivered in the summer.

"Johan Sverdrup is of major importance to Norway's oil industry and we're very pleased to expand our involvement through work on future phases," said Valborg Lundegaard, head of engineering at Aker Solutions. "We've worked closely with Statoil to bring down costs and increase the overall efficiency of the development and will continue to push for further improvements."

The study is being carried out under the framework engineering agreement awarded to Aker Solutions for Johan Sverdrup in 2013.

The company is in the second year of a five-year engineering, procurement and management assistance (EPMA) assignment for the topsides of the first phase's processing and riser platforms and the overall design integrity of the field. At its peak this work is expected to involve more than 1,000 employees at engineering hubs in Oslo, London and Mumbai.

Johan Sverdrup is estimated to hold 1.7 billion to 3 billion barrels of oil equivalents. It's expected to produce 550,000 - 650,000 barrels of oil equivalents a day when fully developed, equal to about a quarter of current domestic output. Production is slated to start in late 2019 and is predicted to last for about 50 years. The first development phase will consist of four platforms linked by bridges.

Statoil is operator for the development, which spans three licenses. Other partners include Lundin Norway, Petoro, Maersk Oil and Det norske oljeselskap.