Statoil has picked Aker Solutions to provide a concept study for a floating production, storage and offloading facility for the Johan Castberg oil field development in the Barents Sea.
The announcement comes just days after Statoil said it was now moving ahead with the delayed project, after cutting estimated development costs by half, from US$11.3 billion to about $6 billion.
The Johan Castberg development will take in the Skrugard (discovered 2011), Havis (discovered 2012) and Drivis (discovered 2014) fields, containing some 400-500 MMboe, in PL 532 in 360-390m water depth.
Statoil had been considering piping production to shore from the Johan Castberg field (formerly Skrugard), some 240km northwest of Hammerfest on the Norwegian coast, and 100km north of the Snohvit field, before deciding to have offtake by tanker instead. Statoil is understood to be planning on using a Sevan-design floating production facility in the field, with a final investment decision expected in 2017 and first production potentially in 2022.
The order is a call-off by Statoil on an engineering contract for Johan Castberg won by Aker Solutions in 2013.
"We've worked with Statoil for two years on finding a cost-effective solution that will enable development of this strategically important oil field in northern Norway," said Per Harald Kongelf, head of Aker Solutions' Norwegian operations. "The costs have been significantly reduced and we look forward to continuing to work with Statoil to optimize this development."
Read more
Image: The Polar Pioneer semisubmersible, used for exploration on Johan Castberg.
Subscribe
