WATCH: Giant North Sea platform beginning to take clear shape

Norwegian oil and gas player Aker BP has welcomed the progress made in constructing its new platform, with pieces on track to start falling into place over the next few weeks to enable it to acquire a more distinct form. Upon completion, the platform will be deployed at the firm’s oil and gas development project in the North Sea.

One of the current large offshore development projects to be built on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) is Yggdrasil, which entered the construction phase in September 2023, when the first steel plate was cut for Hugin A at Aker Solutions’ Stord yard. 

Deemed to be the largest topside ever assembled in the Stord yard area, Hugin A is part of the Yggdrasil development, consisting of a 28-tonne production platform and a 20,500-tonne steel jacket that will be delivered from Aker Solutions’ yard in Verdal.

Aside from Stord and Verdal, the company’s yards in Egersund and Sandnessjøen will build modules, while Leirvik will deliver the living quarters. Aker Solutions and its alliance partners signed contracts worth close to NOK 50 billion (around $4.7 billion) with Aker BP in December 2022 to bring new oil and gas projects off the coast of Norway to life.

As a result, the Hugin A platform will be assembled and delivered from Aker Solutions’ yard at Stord with assistance from its partners, Aker BP, Siemens Energy, and ABB in the fixed facilities alliance. The fabrication of the flame tower of Hugin A, which is about 115 meters long and will weigh about 280 tons, kicked off in June 2024.

Kjetil Jacobsen, Deputy Manager of Aker Solutions in Sandnessjøen, commented: “This is the biggest project the yard will have in the coming year. Nearly all of our 60 employees will work to deliver the flaming tower, including apprentices. So this project is very important for the activity here in Sandnessjøen and it will create important impacts for the local community.”

The Norwegian oil and gas player’s first section of the Hugin A living quarter was safely moved out of the fabrication hall at Leirvik on June 1, 2024. In light of this milestone, the second section will be moved out of the fabrication hall in the coming weeks, with assembly set to start, thus, the Hugin A living quarter module will begin to rise at the yard.

Leirvik is delivering the living quarter module and a helideck to the alliance, thanks to a contract worth approximately NOK 1.1 billion or about $103.07 million. According to Aker BP, 400 people, including eight apprentices, are working on the project at the yard.

“Construction activity for Hugin A is in full swing at Stord, Egersund, Sandnessjøen, Verdal and at subcontractors internationally. Hundreds of suppliers in Norway and all over the world are working on equipment packages,” emphasized Håkon Skofteland, Project Manager for Hugin A.

Yggdrasil, which consists of the Hugin, Fulla, and Munin license groups, is located between Alvheim and Oseberg in the North Sea. Aker BP’s partners in the area are Equinor and Orlen‘s PGNIG Upstream Norway.

With the gross resources in the area of more than 700 million barrels of oil equivalent, extensive new infrastructure is planned, including three platforms, nine subsea templates, new pipelines for oil and gas export, and power from shore.

While the entire Yggdrasil area will be remotely operated from an integrated operations center and control room onshore in Stavanger, the operator’s field development also encompasses an unmanned platform, Hugin B, which will be delivered from Verdal.

In addition, Aibel will deliver the topside for Munin while Aker Solutions’ scope entails considerable subsea and modification deliveries to the Yggdrasil fields. Multiconsult will provide all necessary onshore civil engineering for the power from shore system.

The NOK 115 billion (over $10.77 billion) Yggdrasil area development project is estimated to contribute 65.000 full-time equivalents in Norway in the development and operational phase, with the Norwegian share of the investments being over 65%.