Equinor hands out more work to Norwegian company

Norwegian state-owned energy giant Equinor has exercised its first option to extend the drilling waste management contract for a platform in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea with Soiltech, a compatriot cleantech service provider.

The contract was extended for two years, enabling it to run from June 1, 2024, to May 31, 2026. Equinor also has options to extend the deal further, until 2034, at its disposal. Three months ago, Soiltech was awarded a contract for cuttings handling services on the Norwegian giant’s Oseberg South platform, slated to start in 1Q 2024. Earlier this month, the cleantech company won two more contracts, one with Wintershall Dea and one with Petrogas E&P, for work on the Noble Resilient jack-up drilling rig. 

The contract extension with Equinor enables Soiltech to provide sustainable waste management solutions, including slop treatment, cuttings handling, swarf treatment, and cleaning services. The firm installs and operates the technologies on Equinor’s fixed installations and mobile drilling units, which the state-owned energy giant employs.

Jan Erik Tveteraas, CEO of Soiltech, remarked: “We thank Equinor for the trust they have placed in us. Equinor’s extension of the contract is first and foremost a recognition of the dedication of our field personnel and the onshore support team. In Soiltech we focus on SAFE operations and our ambition is to be in the forefront of technology development. We will continue to deliver solutions that support the ongoing decarbonization of the energy sector, while at the same time reducing our clients’ cost.”

Equinor recently handed out drilling-related contract extensions to Shelf Drilling for a jack-up rig involved in drilling operations at the Gudrun field, and to Archer, KCA Deutag Drilling Norway, and Odfjell Operations for work on 19 platforms located off the coast of Norway. 

The company has also been focusing on decarbonization, introducing measures to curb carbon emissions from the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) by 160,000 tons of CO2 per year using onshore power, and teaming up with BP and TotalEnergies for two projects being developed in Teesside, UK, which are said to be vital for the country’s decarbonization journey.