After nearly six years, Norwegian oil and gas giant Equinor has completed the renovation of the Njord A platform and towed it to its field located in the Norwegian Sea for another 20 years of production.
The Njord field first started production in 1997, which was initially expected to run until 2013. To extend the lifetime of the field, Equinor decided to upgrade and modify the field’s facilities, the Njord A floating steel platform and the Njord Bravo storage vessel.
Therefore, in 2016, the production was temporarily shut down and preparations for the upgrade works started as part of the Njord Future project, which is expected to tie new discoveries to the field’s facilities. The platform was towed from the sea to the shore and then moved into the dry dock in December 2016.
Since then, significant upgrades have been carried out on the hull and the platform deck to extend its lifetime for another 20 years of production. As part of the upgrade, the platform was prepared to bring the nearby fields Bauge and Fenja on stream. Initially, the platform was scheduled to be delivered in the spring of 2020. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused delays in the project.
Finally, in March 2022, oilfield services provider Aker Solutions completed and delivered the drilling and production platform Njord A to Equinor.
Following the completion, the towing of the platform, which has been described as Norway’s largest renovation project , to the field started on 22 March.
Last week, Equinor shared a video and an update on the project, saying that the Njord A platform was yet again safely anchored on the Njord field. Once the offshore part of work has been completed, the field is expected to come on stream – again – in 4Q 2022.
Equinor’s Project Director Njord Field Development, Tanja Tora Blekastad , said: “We have so far produced half of the estimated total reserves, so a substantial volume is left in the ground. Such platform upgrading definitely pays off.”