Johan Sverdrup powered from shore

October 9, 2018 13:00 CEST | Last modified October 11, 2018 09:23 CEST
Kjell-Børge Freiberg at Johan Sverdrup
The Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Kjell-Børge Freiberg, officially opened the power-from-shore solution to Johan Sverdrup. (Photo: Ole Jørgen Bratland / Equinor ASA)

Today the Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Kjell-Børge Freiberg, officially opened the power-from-shore solution which will provide the Johan Sverdrup field in the North Sea with electricity for more than 50 years. Power from shore makes Johan Sverdrup one of the most carbon-efficient fields worldwide.

The giant development in the North Sea has been through the busiest installation campaign ever for a field in the North Sea. Today Johan Sverdrup reached another milestone, when power from shore was officially switched on about a year before production start-up. With electric power supplied from shore Johan Sverdrup operations can be run without the use of fossil fuels, which makes it one of the most carbon-efficient fields worldwide.

The Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Kjell-Børge Freiberg, had the honours of switching off the temporary generators which had supplied the field with electricity during the first months of the installation campaign offshore. And after the four generators had quietened down, the milestone was celebrated in the traditional offshore style with coffee and cake.

“This is an important day for Equinor and the Johan Sverdrup partners, so it is a great honour to get help from none other than the Minister with this final task to fully operationalise the power-from-shore solution,” says Jez Averty, senior vice president for operations in the south of the North Sea.

“With estimated resources of up to 3,2 billion barrels, and a production horizon of more than 50 years, it is key that Johan Sverdrup production is as effective as possible with the lowest possible emissions. Low carbon production is a key element of the company’s strategy and fully aligned with our roadmaps for climate and for the Norwegian continental shelf,” says Averty.

Johan Sverdrup full-field production is estimated to reach 660,000 barrels of oil per day at plateau, with a break-even of less than 20 dollars per barrel, and with CO2 emissions of only 0.67 kg per barrel. Power from shore to Johan Sverdrup will help reduce emissions by an estimated 460,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to the emissions of 230,000 private cars each year.

Kjell-Børge Freiberg (right), and Jez Averty
The Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Kjell-Børge Freiberg (right), and Jez Averty, senior vice president for operations in the south of the North Sea, at the Johan Sverdrup field today. (Photo: Ole Jørgen Bratland / Equinor ASA)

Power from shore about a year before production start-up
Working closely with partners and suppliers, Equinor has taken initiatives to enable the supply of power from shore already in the commissioning phase offshore. With several energy intensive operations planned prior to production start-up – including the tieback of the eight predrilled production wells – the early supply of electricity from shore helps further reduce the carbon footprint of the project.

The Johan Sverdrup partnership has also, in collaboration with the supplier Master Marine, taken steps to ensure that the temporary accommodation rig Haven – where most of the offshore workers currently live – is also supplied with power from shore during the remainder of the project finalization stage.

“Johan Sverdrup has in many ways become known for its focus on continuous improvement, also in terms of our focus on reducing our climate footprint and finding more environmentally sustainable solutions. As soon as power from shore became part of the Johan Sverdrup development concept, we’ve worked hard with our partners and suppliers to capture the full potential of this solution,” says Trond Bokn, senior vice president for the Johan Sverdrup development.

“Another important benefit of power from shore is that the working environment for the almost 900 workers offshore also improves significantly. Noise offshore is significantly reduced as are local emissions, so it is a win-win all around,” says Bokn.

Seamless collaboration between onshore and offshore
In phase 1 of the Johan Sverdrup development the power-from-shore solution has a capacity of 100 MW, based on a production capacity of up to 440,000 barrels per day.

Several suppliers across several countries, both onshore and offshore, have been involved in developing and delivering the chosen solution for power from shore to Johan Sverdrup phase 1.

“While this is primarily known technology, the size of Johan Sverdrup increases the complexity of this. Seamless collaboration across the project has been key to the success of Johan Sverdrup so far – also as regards power from shore,” says Bokn.

ABB delivered the HVDC equipment for the two converter stations, onshore at Haugsneset close to Kårstø and offshore at the Johan Sverdrup field centre. First, at Haugsneset, the electric current is converted from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), enabling the transmission of electricity for 200 km offshore, while minimizing loss. Then, offshore, the electric current is converted back to the alternating current needed to run the field centre equipment.

Aibel was responsible for all construction related to the onshore converter station at Haugsneset. Aker Solutions was responsible for the engineering and Samsung Heavy Industries built the riser platform including the converter module where the HVDC equipment is placed offshore. And NKT was responsible for fabrication and installation of the 200 km power cables from Haugsneset out to the Johan Sverdrup field centre offshore.

In Johan Sverdrup phase 2, with start-up expected in Q4 2022, the power from shore capacity will be expanded with 200 MW, giving a total capacity of 300 MW. This enables Johan Sverdrup to facilitate access to power from shore to the other fields at Utsira High – Edvard Grieg, Gina Krog og Ivar Aasen. The expanded power capacity will also be needed for the added Johan Sverdrup production capacity of 220,000 barrels per day, and the total full field production capacity of 660,000 barrels daily.

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  • CO2 emissions from the production of oil and gas from Johan Sverdrup are estimated at just 0.67 kg CO2 per barrel. CO2 emissions reductions from the field due to power from shore are estimated at more than 460,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, totalling almost 20 million tonnes of CO2 over the life of the field.
  • In phase 1 the power supply capacity to Johan Sverdrup amounts to 100 MW, which will enable production of up to 400,000 barrels per day.
  • In 2022, with phase 2, power from shore capacity to Johan Sverdrup will be expanded with another 200 MW, amounting to a total power from shore capacity to the field of 300 MW. This enables Johan Sverdrup to facilitate access to power from shore to the other fields at Utsira High including Edvard Grieg (operator: Lundin Norway), Gina Krog (operator: Equinor), and Ivar Aasen (operator: Aker BP).
  • In the first phase of the Johan Sverdrup development the electrical equipment (HVDC) for the converter stations both at Haugsneset and on the riser platform was delivered by ABB. All work related to the construction of the converter station at Haugsneset was done by Aibel. NKT was responsible for the delivery and installation of the power cables for Johan Sverdrup phase 1.
  • In the second phase of the Johan Sverdrup development, Siemens was awarded the contract for delivering the electrical equipment (HVDC) for the converter stations both onshore and on the Johan Sverdrup field centre. Aibel is responsible for the construction of the phase 2 converter station at Haugsneset. NKT is the recipient of the letter of award for the delivery and installation of the power cables for the second phase.
  • Johan Sverdrup is one of the five biggest oil fields on the Norwegian continental shelf. With recoverable resources estimated at between 2.2-3.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent (with expected volumes of 2.7 billion boe), it is one of the most important industrial projects in Norway with impacts lasting over the next 50 years.
  • Johan Sverdrup will be developed in several phases. Phase 1 is expected to start up in November 2019 with production capacity estimated at 440,000 barrels of oil per day.
  • Phase 2 is expected to start up in Q4 2022, with full field production estimated to peak at 660,000 barrels of oil per day. Peak production on Johan Sverdrup will be equivalent to 25% of all Norwegian petroleum production. The plan for development and operation (PDO) for phase 2 was submitted to Norwegian authorities on 27 August 2018.
  • PARTNERS: Equinor 40.0267% (operator), Lundin Norway 22.6%, Petoro 17.36%, Aker BP 11.5733% and Total 8.44%.