The Troll A platform in the North Sea. (Photo: Anette Westgård)
Statoil and its partners in the Troll licence on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) decided last week to invest NOK 11 billion in two new compressors on Troll A.
The two new compressors will enable Statoil to produce gas even faster and accelerate production at the Troll field by allowing for production with reduced wellhead pressure. The compressors will enable the production of gas from the field all the way until 2063.
Hans Jakob Hegge, Statoil senior vice president for operations North Sea east
“A third of all gas capacity on the NCS is produced on Troll A, making Troll the cornerstone of gas supplies to the continent. The investment decision which forms the basis for this contract award is an important contribution to improving the recovery rate and lifetime extension at the Troll field and for the total value creation from oil and gas activities on the NCS,” says Hans Jakob Hegge, Statoil senior vice president for operations North Sea east.
Statoil has chosen Aibel as the key supplier for the engineering, procurement, onshore construction and integrated offshore construction and completion (EPCIc) for upgrading of Troll A pre-compression capacity. The estimated contract value is NOK 2.7 billion.
“We see an increasing need for large modification projects to prolong lifetime extension on fields,” says Statoil’s senior vice president for projects Anders Opedal.
Anders Opedal, Statoil’s senior vice president for projects
“This large modification project has been met with great interest by the supplier industry and is an exciting opportunity for both the key supplier and sub-suppliers. We are looking forward to working together with Aibel in the further development of Troll. The company submitted the best bid of the pre-qualified suppliers. We expect a high HSE focus, smart project execution and emphasis on technical solution optimisation.”
Aibel will build and install the third and fourth compressors on the Troll A platform based on previous FEED studies. The work will start immediately, with offshore installation taking place from 2012 until completion in the beginning of 2015.
The two new compressors form the final phase of the planned capacity expansion on Troll A as a gas producer. Troll has a production capacity and expected lifetime that far exceeds those of the other NCS fields. The new compressors also pave the way for the tie-in of gas from Troll West once oil production has come to an end. The two compressors will come on stream in 2015, and will enable Troll A to produce 120 million cubic metres per day up until 2018, ensuring the ability to produce 30 billion cubic metres annually until 2024.
The contract for the associated electric drive system for the compressors will be awarded in the near future.
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