Aker Solutions gets another Johan Sverdrup job

December 16, 2020, by Nermina Kulovic

Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor has awarded Aker Solutions a contract for the hook-up of the fifth platform on the Johan Sverdrup field off Norway.

The Johan Sverdrup field in the North Sea. (Photo: Equinor/Ole Jørgen Bratland)

At peak, the contract will provide jobs for around 1,300 people and have a value of up to NOK 500 million ($57.2 million), Equinor said on Wednesday.

Johan Sverdrup phase 2 includes a new P2 processing platform currently under construction by Aibel.

After the assembly in sheltered waters in 2021, it will be towed back to Haugesund for completion before installation on the field in the spring of 2022.

The new contract awarded to Aker Solutions covers the hook-up on the field and other hook-up and completion tasks that must be carried out after the platform has been installed to prepare it for operation.

It will be connected to the existing field installations by a gangway to the existing riser platform.

Aker Solutions was awarded a similar contract in the first phase of the Johan Sverdrup development.

“Now Aker Solutions is modifying the riser platform for phase 2 and can move on to the hook-up and completion of the new processing platform on the field in 2022”, said Bjarne Bakken, project director for Johan Sverdrup phase 2.

According to Equinor, the planning of the work will start immediately. At the peak in 2022, the project will employ around 1,200 people distributed on three offshore shifts of 400 people each, in addition to an onshore organization of around 100 people.

Production start for Johan Sverdrup phase 2 is planned in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Peggy Krantz-Underland, Equinor’s chief procurement officer, said: “More than 90 per cent of the project contracts have been awarded to Norwegian suppliers. The contracts have been awarded in strong international competition, proving the competitiveness of the Norwegian supplier industry”.

Johan Sverdrup licence owners are Equinor: 42.6267 per cent (operator), Lundin Energy Norway: 20 per cent, Petoro 17.36 per cent, Aker BP: 11.5733 per cent and Total E&P Norge: 8.44 per cent.