Equinor, formerly Statoil, is investing in a secure and sustainable energy future for the UK. We have a broad range of activities in the UK, including innovative offshore wind projects, upstream operations on the continental shelf and delivering reliable piped natural gas.
Equinor is investing in a secure and sustainable energy future for the UK, with innovative offshore wind projects, upstream operations and reliable piped natural gas. Discover more here:
Mariner: Hooking up a giant
800 people are hard at work offshore, installing the enormous Mariner field. It’s the largest field development on the UK continental shelf in recent years.
Our activities in the UK
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A reliable partner for Britain
On the UK continental shelf we operate the Mariner, Bressay AND UTGARD FIELDS, as well as being partners in the Jupiter and Alba fields.
Equinor also holds interests in more than 20 exploration licenses, most of them as operator. We are increasing our investment on the UK continental shelf through the development of the Mariner field, an ambitious 30-year project which represents one of the largest capital expenditure commitments on the UK continental shelf for over a decade—a gross investment of more than GBP 4.5 billion.
The UK is also home to equinor’s growing renewables portfolio.
We are applying our expertise in offshore operations to developing several offshore wind technologies and projects. Our Hywind Scotland Pilot floating wind Park represents the next phase of offshore wind power generation.
The Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind farms are now supplying electricity to 630,000 UK homes. We are also partners in the Dogger Bank offshore wind project, which has the potential to provide around 10% of total UK electricity requirements.
Natural gas is a key part of equinor’s energy partnership with the UK.
4.1 million UK homes are fuelled by Equinor gas and we are committed to increasing that figure. Through the Langeled, Vesterled and Tampen Link pipelines from the Norwegian continental shelf, Equinor has capacity to supply around 25% of peak UK demand. In 2015 we cemented our position as a long-term reliable and competitive supplier with agreements to deliver 73 billion cubic metres (bcm) over 10 years to Centrica and 2.5 bcm annually to SSE, the UK’s two largest energy suppliers. By doing so, Equinor aims to help the UK meet its increasing demand and secure sustainable energy supplies for the future.
A thirty-year adventure will begin soon 250 kilometres off Scotland’s north-east coast. That’s when the first oil tanker will leave the Mariner field, bound for the world’s energy markets. It’s been a long journey. Mariner is a sleeping giant, discovered more than thirty years ago.
But because of the oil’s extremely high viscosity, previous operators were not able to extract it. In 2007, we acquired the operatorship, and with the experience gained from working with other heavy oil fields, we managed to solve the challenges. The Mariner project will be one of Equinor’s most innovative developments ever.
Discovered in 1981 on the East Shetland Platform, approximately 150 kilometres east of the Shetland Islands, the Mariner field is a daunting prospect for oil and gas producers. Mariner is a heavy oil field characterised by dense, viscous oil.
In December 2012, Equinor and its partners decided to take on the challenge and made the investment decision for the Mariner project, which entails a gross investment of more than GBP 4.5 billion. This was the largest capital commitment to the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) in more than a decade.
The concept chosen includes a production, drilling and quarters (PDQ) platform based on a steel jacket, Mariner A, with a floating storage unit (FSU), Mariner B. Drilling will be carried out from the Mariner A drilling rig, with a jack-up rig assisting for the first 4 years.
The Mariner oil field consists of two shallow reservoir sections: the deeper, Maureen formation at 1492 meters and the shallower Heimdal reservoir at 1227 meters. The oil is heavy with API gravities of 14.2 and 12.1 and viscosities at reservoir conditions of 67 cP and 508 cP, respectively for Maureen and Heimdal.
The development of the Mariner field will contribute more than 300 million barrels of oil with average plateau production of around 55,000 barrels per day. The field will provide a long term cash-flow over 30 years. Production is expected to commence during the first half of 2019.
The steel jacket was installed in the field during the summer of 2015. The topsides modules are being constructed by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (DSME).
Heavy oil projects have required the development of pioneering technology. Since its discovery in 1981, the Mariner field has been subject to a number of development studies by different operators. Equinor was the first company to put forward a development concept that will fully address the complexities of this field.
We are the operator of the Mariner field with 65.11% equity. Co-venturers are J.X. Nippon (20%), Siccar Point Energy (8.89%) and Dyas (6%).
The Mariner field will in the initial years employ 700 people, offshore and onshore, contractors included. It will also support a significant number of jobs in the UK supply chain.
Equinor has awarded the contract for drilling services on the Mariner platform to UK-based Odfjell Drilling. Noble Corporation is awarded the contract for the additional jack-up rig that will assist the PDQ in the initial years. This rig is currently in operation in the Mariner field.
The Mariner maintenance and modification services contract has been awarded to Aker Solutions UK. The offshore services contract has been awarded to Stork Technical Services Limited, also based in the UK. The helicopter transportation contract for the Mariner field has been awarded to CHC Helicopter in the UK.
MARINER KEY FACTS
- Heavy oil field discovered in 1981
- Recoverable reserves estimated at 300 million barrels of oil
- We became operator of the Mariner field in 2007
- Average plateau production will be 55,000 barrels per day
- 30-year field life
JUPITER KEY FACTS
- Collection of small gas fields operated by ConocoPhillips - in production since 1995
- Equinor owns a 30% share
ALBA KEY FACTS
- Oil field operated by Chevron and in production since 1994
- Equinor owns a 17% share
- Floating storage unit used prior to transportation
UTGARD KEY FACTS
- Gas and condensate field, straddling the NCS/UKCS median line.
- Recoverable resources are estimated at 56.4 million BOE
- Equinor UK is 100% owner and operator on the UK side.
- Equinor Petroleum is the operator on the Norwegian side.
- Production is planned to start around 2020
BRESSAY KEY FACTS
- Heavy oil field first discovered in 1976
- Recoverable reserves estimated at 100-300 million barrels of oil
- Equinor, formerly Statoil, became operator of the Bressay licences in 2007
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A leading player in offshore wind
Equinor is an important player in the UK’s burgeoning offshore wind sector
Our first major wind project, the Sheringham Shoal offshore wind farm located just off the Norfolk coast, started production in 2012. Just a bit further out to sea lies Dudgeon offshore wind farm, which started production in late 2017. Together, Sheringham and Dudgeon now supply electricity to a total of 630,000 UK homes.
Furthermore, we are partners in the Dogger Bank offshore wind project and are pioneering floating wind technology through the Hywind Scotland Pilot Park off the coast of Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. Floating wind potentially represents a new and significant renewable energy source that will complement an existing and expanding array of alternative energy projects. Our Hywind project is expected to demonstrate the feasibility of multiple floating wind turbines in a region that has optimal wind conditions.
Equinor’s offshore wind projects are a key component in our commitment to reducing carbon emissions. Every megawatt hour produced from wind theoretically displaces approximately one tonne of carbon dioxide from coal power (and about half a tonne compared to gas-fired power).
Large capacity:
The UK has the largest offshore wind capacity in the world and growing — up to 41 GW by 2030.
Falling costs:
The cost of offshore wind has reduced by 11% from 2010—2014.
Consistent source:
Offshore wind is more constant than most other renewables.
Job creation:
6,830 direct jobs in the sector — growing to a possible 30,000 by 2020.