Ærfugl phase 1 project brought into production by Aker BP and partners

Ærfugl phase 1 project : Operator Aker BP and its partners Equinor, Wintershall Dea, and PGNiG have begun production from the phase 1 development of the Ærfugl oil field (formerly Snadd field) in the Norwegian Sea.

The partners are developing the offshore Ærfugl field in two phases with a total investment of NOK8 billion ($873.12 million).

Commenting on the start-up of the Ærfugl phase 1 project, Karl Johnny Hersvik – CEO of Aker BP said: “I am very proud of the excellent performance shown by the Aker BP project team and our alliance partners to deliver this profitable project safely and efficiently on time and cost. This truly is One Team at its best.”

Ærfugl phase 1 project producing through the Skarv FPSO

Ærfugl phase 1 project brought into production. Image courtesy of Aker BP.

Both the phases of development are tied into the existing production vessel, an FPSO on the Skarv field, which is located nearly 210 km west of Sandnessjøen.

With the development of the Ærfugl oil field, the Skarv FPSO is expected to get a five years lifetime extension.

Sverre Isak Bjørn – VP Operations & Asset Development, Skarv area said: “Ærfugl is an important part of the area development and value creation in the area. When both phases of Ærfugl come on stream, we will significantly increase our utilization at the Skarv FPSO, representing roughly a doubling of production compared to current levels.

“Production from the Ærfugl reservoir will also improve the energy efficiency. Consequently it will bring down CO2 emissions by 30-40% per barrel produced from Skarv FPSO.”

The Plan for Development and Operation (PDO) for the Ærfugl project was approved in April 2018 by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.

According to Aker BP, Ærfugl’s reservoir has a total of nearly 300 million barrels of producible oil equivalents.

Ærfugl phase 1 project, which involved the development of the southern part of the Ærfugl oil field, consists of three new wells. On the other hand, Ærfugl phase 2 project will see the drilling of an additional three wells in the northern part of the offshore Norwegian oil field.