Equinor gets clearance for modifications at Norwegian offshore platform

Norwegian offshore safety regulator has given Equinor consent to carry out modifications at a platform operating on a field in the Norwegian Sea.

The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) recently gave Equinor consent for major modifications in connection with low-pressure project 3 at Åsgard B, which is a semi-submersible floating platform on the Åsgard field with processing facilities for gas treatment and stabilisation of oil and condensates. It came on stream on 1 October 2000.

While the platform was developed by Kværner, the hull was built by Daewoo Heavy Industries in Korea. The topside modules came from Poland, Russia, the Netherlands, Sweden and Egersund, and were mated with the hull in Stavanger. This platform was the largest semi-submersible platform ever built for production in 2000, with a topside weighing 33,700 tonnes.

Located at Haltenbanken in the Norwegian Sea, about 200 kilometres from the Trøndelag coast and 50 kilometres south of the Heidrun field, the Åsgard field development concept includes the Åsgard A production vessel, the Åsgard B semi-submersible platform and the Åsgard C storage vessel. The field has been producing oil since May 1999 and gas since October 2000.

The Åsgard facilities currently receive oil and gas from seven different fields: Midgard, Smørbukk, Smørbukk South, Mikkel, Morvin, Smørbukk Northeast and Trestakk. Morvin – four wells and two subsea templates – and Mikkel – three wells and two subsea templates – are also tied into the infrastructure at Åsgard B.

The gas from the Åsgard field is routed by pipeline to Kårstø in Northern Rogaland County, where heavier components such as ethane, propane, butane and naphtha are separated out. From there, the dry gas is transported onward via the Europipe II pipeline to customers on the continent.

This consent comes weeks after the PSA handed Equinor consent to use the Transocean Encourage rig for production drilling on the Åsgard field.