Equinor advances North Sea tiebacks with Eirin startup and Atlantis FEED award
Equinor continues to lean on subsea tiebacks to extend infrastructure life and unlock nearby resources in the Norwegian North Sea.
North Sea Eirin-Gina Krog tieback starts up
Equinor has brought onstream the Eirin field in the Norwegian North Sea via a subsea tieback to the Gina Krog platform.
Eirin, discovered in 1978, contains recoverable resources estimated at 27.6 MMboe, mainly gas. It is connected to Gina Krog by a two-slot subsea template.
From the platform, volumes are sent to Sleipner A for further processing, with the gas exported to markets in Europe through the Gassled pipeline system.
The liquids head to Kårstø on Norway’s west coast for further processing and export.
The development makes use of existing risers and should enable gradual expansion and tie-ins of new discoveries in the area. It should also extend production from the Gina Krog platform by seven years to 2036.
Total costs are estimated at NOK 4.5 billion ($480 million).
Linda Kåda Høiland, svp for late-life fields in Equinor, and the newly appointed vp for Statfjord in Exploration & Production Norway, said: "The project has given us important learnings on how to develop marginal discoveries quickly and profitably.
“Such subsea developments will be important for maintaining production and value creation from the Norwegian shelf in the future.
“Early collaboration, efficient decision-making processes and standardized solutions have been crucial to realizing Eirin in a short time. From the establishment of the project to the start of production, we have only spent three years," says Høiland.
The Eirin is 250 km west of Stavanger in 120 m of water, with a reservoir at a depth of around 4,000 m. Equinor operates the surrounding license with a 58.7% interest, in partnership with ORLEN Upstream Norway (41.3%).
Aker Solutions awarded FEED for Atlantis tieback
Equinor has also just contracted Aker Solutions to perform front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract related to another gas-condensate tieback in the northern Norwegian North Sea.
The Atlantis discovery, 35 km, will likely have three production wells, and will be developed with a pressure depletion recovery strategy.
Aker Solutions’ scope covers preparing the topsides on the Kvitebjørn platform to accommodate Atlantis’ production, via existing offshore infrastructure. The contract includes an option for engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning assistance (EPCIc), which should be exercised early next year.
Paal Eikeseth, evp and head of Aker Solutions' Life Cycle segment, said: “Together with Equinor, we are reducing traditional requirements and lowering complexity and cost. In addition, productivity improvements enabled by AI and digitalization will be embedded into the project.”
In January, Aker Solutions signed a new maintenance and modifications frame agreement with Equinor that included expanded responsibilities for the Kvitebjørn field. This should open up operational synergies for the tie‑in contract, the company said.
About the Author
Jeremy Beckman
Editor, Europe
Jeremy Beckman has been Editor Europe, Offshore since 1992. Prior to joining Offshore he was a freelance journalist for eight years, working for a variety of electronics, computing and scientific journals in the UK. He regularly writes news columns on trends and events both in the NW Europe offshore region and globally. He also writes features on developments and technology in exploration and production.