Vår Energi’s Goliat field to get network upgrade

Vår Energi, an independent E&P company on the Norwegian continental shelf, has entered into an agreement with Telenor Maritime to equip the Goliat field in the Barents Sea with 2G and 4G networks.

Vår Energi said on Thursday that the installation of the equipment on the Goliat FPSO would begin in the second quarter of 2019 with expected completion in the third quarter same year.

According to the company, the new network equipment will improve safety and emergency response capability in the region.

Additionally, the agreement includes supporting vessels to the Goliat license and other users in the area, within around 70 kilometers of the Goliat field.

Asbjørn Skoge, asset manager for the Barents Sea at Vår Energi, said: “We are delighted to conclude our efforts in securing this agreement which will enhance the network reliability on the Goliat field.”

Lars Erik Lunøe, CEO of Telenor Maritime, added: “Telenor Maritime already operates mobile 4G networks on the Norwegian continental shelf and is pleased to sign this agreement with Vår Energi. We are building on the experiences made from delivering tailor-made mobile solutions in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea, as we expand our businesses into the arctic waters of the Barents Sea.

“Mobile operators and technology have through time transformed how businesses operate. A state of the art high-speed 4G network will facilitate Vår Energi to carry out even more innovation and efficiency improvement on the Goliat field, benefiting from high-speed mobile coverage, with improved communications between offshore installation and supply vessel.”

The company also said that in periods with production shut down such as turnarounds or other activities, the network might be impacted, but the objective is to keep the networks’ uptime as high as possible.

Vår Energi operates the oil-producing Goliat field with an interest of 65 percent, together with Equinor as its partner.