Aker Solutions confirms contract for Norwegian Sea electrification project

Aker Solutions has signed a contract with OKEA for the Draugen electrification project in the Norwegian Sea, following a Letter of Intent (LoI) from December 2022.

Aker Solutions has been appointed as the main contractor for engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) and the scope will include major modifications of the existing platform to enable power from shore.

As a result, the emissions from Draugen are estimated to be reduced by as much as 200,000 tons of CO2 per year. 

The project has begun and is scheduled to be completed in 2026. It is managed from Aker Solutions’ offices in Trondheim in Mid Norway.

Several of the company’s offices will be engaged in the engineering phase, and the construction will be executed at the company’s yard in Egersund.

“Replacing the current power generation from gas turbines at the offshore platform and instead electrifying these from shore will enable production of oil and gas from Draugen with significant reductions in CO2 emissions,” said Paal Eikeseth, EVP and Head of Aker Solutions’ Electrification, Maintenance and Modifications (EMM) business.

“Lifetime extensions of these platforms are of crucial importance for the increasing need for energy and energy security in Europe.”

Aker Solutions will recognize an order intake of around NOK 2.5 billion (approximately €224.4 million) in the first quarter of 2023 in the EMM segment.

At the end of 2022, OKEA and Equinor, in collaboration with license partners, commenced work to electrify the Draugen field and Njord A platforms.

For the project, OKEA is responsible for developing the power infrastructure from shore to Draugen, while Equinor is in charge of the cable from Draugen to Njord and modifications and upgrades on Njord A.

Draugen and Njord, which will require up to 80 MW annually, will be connected to the power grid at Tensio’s transformer station at Straum in Åfjord municipality, which has an annual capacity of 200 MW.