Aker BP gains approval for $1.5bn Utsira High Project in North Sea

Aker BP has received approval for the Utsira High Project from the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE), which entails an investment of NOK 16 billion ($1.5 billion).

The Utsira High Project involves the development of the Symra field and Solveig field Phase 2 in the Utsirahøyden region of the North Sea.

Aker BP is the operator of the Symra field with its co-licensees being Equinor Energy and Sval Energi.

The Symra field, set to start production in the first quarter of 2027, will be tied to the Ivar Aasen production platform. As for the Solveig field, production for its Phase 2 is slated for the first quarter of 2026. It will be connected via existing infrastructure at Solveig to the Edvard Grieg platform.

Aker BP ASA is the operator for Solveig, with OMV Norge and Wintershall Dea serving as license partners.

The Utsira High Project aims to develop recoverable resources of 93 million barrels of oil equivalent. Drilling for these fields will commence in the third quarter of 2025.

This new infrastructure development in the North-Eastern part of the Grieg/Aasen asset area opens possibilities for further developments in the vicinity, promising future growth for the region’s oil recovery industry.

Stine Kongshaug McIntosh — Aker BP VP Projects Execution for Edvard Grieg and Ivar Aasen said: “The production from Symra and Solveig phase 2 will contribute valuable production for the licensees and society at large. The fact that we can utilize existing process capacity at Ivar Aasen and Edvard Grieg helps to make the developments economically robust.”