Norway: Aker Solutions to Upgrade Snorre A’s Drilling Equipment

Aker Solutions has been awarded a contract by Statoil to deliver replacement and upgrading of the drilling equipment and systems on the Snorre A platform in the North Sea. Estimated contract value is NOK 1 billion (USD 179 million).

The main object of the project is to extend the technical lifetime up to 2040 and improve HSE factors while keeping the capacity and operational availability “as-is”. Scope of work will include engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning assistance.

The upgrade will make it possible to drill new wells from Snorre A in the period up to 2040.

“Well drilling and maintenance represent the most important activities we can undertake in order to recover more oil and gas from our fields. By upgrading the drilling facilities on Snorre A we reckon we can recover 67 million additional barrels of oil from the Snorre field,” says Bente Aleksandersen, head of Operations South in Development and Production Norway in Statoil.

“We are pleased that Statoil renews their trust in our service, and very proud to be working with Statoil on a drilling upgrade of this scale,” says head of Aker Solutions’ maintenance, modifications and operations business, Tore Sjursen.

This project includes advanced technical solutions in addition to extensive onshore testing in a considerably larger scale than previously performed. The chosen solutions have been developed over many years through extensive studies with participation from Aker Solutions, Statoil and the drilling operator.

Refurbishment of existing drilling facilities like Snorre A is a growing market in the mature North Sea, and an area which Aker Solutions is putting high emphasis on. The company has comprehensive knowledge about products, systems and services required to plan and execute such work, and different parts of the company would typically be involved.

The Snorre A drilling contract scope will be performed by Aker Solutions’ drilling technologies engineering team in Kristiansand and will be concluded by its integration competence centre in Bergen. Prefabrication will be performed at Aker Solutions’ yard in Egersund.

Preparations have already started. A total of 100 engineering and management personnel at Aker Solutions’ office in Bergen and Kristiansand plus up to 100 offshore installation personnel will work on the Snorre A Drilling contract for the next three years.

Contract parties are Aker Solutions’ subsidiary Aker Solutions MMO AS and Statoil ASA.

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Offshore Energy Today Staff, February 28, 2012; Image: Statoil