Askeladd gas and condensate field : Equinor begins production from phase 1

Equinor Energy has started production from phase 1 of the Askeladd gas and condensate field in the Barents Sea, thereby increasing plateau production from the Hammerfest LNG plant on Melkøya Island, Norway, for about three years.

Delivered on schedule, the development of the Askeladd field phase 1 eventually cost NOK 650 million ($67 million) less than the estimate of NOK 5.2 billion ($535 million).

Phase 1 of the Askeladd field will enable the Hammerfest LNG facility to supply 18 billion cubic metres of gas and two million cubic metres of condensate to the market.

The Askeladd gas and condensate field is a satellite field of the Snøhvit field. It has been developed as a subsea tie-in to the Snøhvit platform and the Hammerfest LNG plant.

The Hammerfest LNG plant, at its normal capacity, supplies 18.4 million standard cubic metres of gas per day, or 6.5 billion cubic metres annually. This is equivalent to meeting the gas requirements of approximately 6.5 million European households or 5% of all gas exports by Norway.

Thor Johan Haave — Equinor Hammerfest LNG vice president operations and maintenance said: “Askeladd is now producing, the gas will help extend plateau production from Hammerfest LNG on Melkøya up to three years.

“HLNG delivers significant volumes to customers in Europe, and the gas from the Barents Sea reinforces our position as a predictable and reliable gas supplier.

“Askeladd and other projects in the region will ensure further value creation and production from HLNG for decades.”

The Askeladd gas and condensate field will increase plateau production from the Hammerfest LNG plant for about three years. Photo courtesy of Ole Jørgen Bratland / Equinor.

Completed in 2020 itself, the start-up of the Askeladd gas and condensate field was put off till Hammerfest LNG facility resumed operations following the fire in September of the same year.

Trond Bokn — Equinor project development senior vice president said: “Just over 1.5 million person-hours of work have gone into the project, most of them performed by our suppliers.

“During the project period, Askeladd generated 250-300 person-years of work in Northern Norway, mainly in Hammerfest.

“In addition, many employees and suppliers have helped restart Hammerfest LNG, which makes it possible to phase in both Askeladd and future projects.”

The Askeladd gas field development is divided into two phases, of which phase 1 consists of three wells in two templates — one in the northern section of the Snøhvit field and one in the southern section while phase 2 consists of a couple of new wells in western section.

The partners of the Snøhvit licensees include Equinor Energy (operator), Petoro, TotalEnergies EP Norge, Neptune Energy Norge, and Wintershall Dea Norge.