SLB secures EPCI contract for Bestla project in North Sea from OKEA

SLB (formerly Schlumberger), a leading technology provider in the energy sector, has been awarded a significant engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contract by OKEA for the development of the Bestla Project, formerly known as Brasse, in the North Sea, offshore Norway. This contract, a collaboration between SLB‘s OneSubsea joint venture and Subsea7, aims to accelerate subsea tieback delivery to aging platforms, enhancing profitable and sustainable marginal field development.

The project, involving a 13-km tieback to the Brage Platform, is a continuation of the 2017 frame agreement with OKEA, marking further cooperation under the Subsea Integration Alliance of SLB OneSubsea and Subsea7. This alliance emphasizes early engagement and collaborative field development planning, utilizing North Sea compliant configurable equipment critical for the sustainable development of marginal fields.

SLB OneSubsea is tasked with delivering a subsea production system, which includes two subsea trees, a two-slot template, an umbilical, and a control system. Meanwhile, Subsea7 will handle the installation of the subsea production system and design and install the flowline systems, spools, and protection measures, including rock installation.

“We enjoy a long, productive relationship with OKEA, building upon the successful execution of the Hasselmus development, the first project under our Alliance frame agreement, which was delivered on time and on budget in October 2023,” stated Mads Hjelmeland, CEO of SLB OneSubsea. “Reaching this point has been driven by outstanding collaboration across all partners. Our ongoing partnership has enabled us to work together to simplify the field layout and secure long lead items and vessel capacity, which will bring the new wells online quickly and efficiently.”

The Bestla field, discovered in 2016, sees its first commercially viable field development plan with this project. The development approach is compliant with NCS2017+ standards for standardized subsea production systems designed for the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The project supports the local economy by commissioning fabrication and manufacturing from partners in Norway, with an estimated 24 million barrels of oil equivalent in the field, of which two-thirds is oil.

The Bestla project represents a strategic milestone for SLB and OKEA in their efforts to optimize the extraction of hydrocarbon resources in a manner that is both economically viable and environmentally considerate. The project’s approach to utilizing existing infrastructure for new developments sets a benchmark for efficiency and sustainability in offshore operations.