Irpa: securing gas supplies to Europe and extending Aasta Hansteen’s lifetime by seven years
(A tie-in development to Aasta Hansteen)
Irpa, formerly called Asterix, is located at a depth of approximately 1350 metres in the Norwegian Sea, 340 kilometres offshore Bodø, with expected recoverable gas reserves estimated at almost 20 billion standard cubic metres (Sm3), as well as 0.4 million Sm3 in condensates, approximately 124 million b.o.e. in all.
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Irpa will be developed as a tie-in to Aasta Hansteen, currently the deepest field development on the Norwegian continental shelf. Irpa's gas volumes are expected to correspond to the consumption of more than 2.3 million British households for seven years.
A new chapter for Aasta Hansteen
This project will open a new chapter in the history of Aasta Hansteen. Available capacity at Aasta Hansteen will be utilised and the lifetime of the platform extended, maintaining employment for a further seven years.
The development also strengthens our position as a reliable and long-term supplier of gas to Europe. Recent events have underscored the importance of stable gas deliveries to Europe, and Irpa will contribute to increased reliable supplies in the years ahead.
Local spin-offs
The development will extend the lifetime of Aasta Hansteen from 2032 to 2039. This provides significant value creation through jobs and local spin-offs. In 2020 and 2021, the operation of Aasta Hansteen created jobs equivalent to over 300 full-time person-years, directly and indirectly.
The development has a total cost of NOK 14.8 billion in 2022-kroner, and the field is scheduled to come onstream in the fourth quarter of 2026. There will be joint production from Irpa and Aasta Hansteen through 2031 and then Irpa will continue to produce until 2039.
The development of Irpa will be positive for securing many jobs both onshore and offshore, contributing to extended activity at the supply base in Sandnessjøen, the helicopter base in Brønnøysund, and the operations organisation in Harstad.
According to normal calculation criteria, the development has good social profitability.
Field development solution
The field will be developed with three wells and an 80-kilometre tie-back pipeline to the Aasta Hansteen platform. As the only planned deepwater development in Norway (in 1350 metres of water), the technical solution will enable new deep and cold-water developments elsewhere.
A newly-developed insulated pipe solution will be used for the pipeline to Aasta Hansteen, due to the extreme cold on the seabed. This innovation employs a swaged pipe-in-pipe design with a combination of insulation and vacuum between the inner and outer pipes, together with monoethyleneglycol (MEG) injection to reduce the formation of hydrates in the multi-phase well stream.
The gas from Irpa will be phased into existing infrastructure over Aasta Hansteen and transported via Polarled to the Nyhamna processing plant. From there, gas is transported via the Langeled pipeline system to customers in the UK and continental Europe.
The partners in the project are Equinor (operator), Wintershall DEA, Petoro, and Shell.
The field is expected to come on stream in 2026.
*(source: NCS spin-off analysis from KPB/Equinor’s supplier register)