(WO) – Aker Solutions has been awarded a sizeable EPCIC contract by Equinor to prepare the topside of Troll A for accelerating production from the offshore Troll West gas reservoir. The contract award is worth between NOK 0.5 billion and NOK 1.5 billion.

The Troll field is situated in the North Sea, 80 km northwest of Bergen, and is Norway’s largest gas producer, supplying 10% of Europe’s total gas needs. Troll Phase 3 involves producing the gas cap overlying the oil column in Troll West, while also continuing the production of oil. The produced gas goes to Troll A and onwards in existing infrastructure.

The scope includes engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) for topside modification. The purpose is to prepare the Troll A platform for receiving and processing gas from eight new wells at Troll West.

The first stage of this development was completed in 2021 with a new module on the Troll A platform to receive and process gas from the Troll West field. Aker Solutions completed the Troll A topside modification and provided the subsea systems for the field development in Stage I.

“We are excited to continue following the significant development of the giant Troll field and to move forward with the next step of Troll Phase 3. In-depth knowledge of Troll A, the equipment on the asset, and the modifications made in the first phase is essential, providing a strong foundation for executing this new scope,” said Paal Eikeseth, executive vice-president and head of Aker Solutions’ Life Cycle segment.

Aker Solutions has also been entrusted with preparing and installing equipment for the clean-up of the initial well fluids during the start-up of the wells.

“We will have the lead responsibility for the interfaces between contractors in this project and will leverage our experience as integrators in complex energy projects, focusing on delivering high-value and optimized solutions. We are honored to be a trusted contractor and look forward to continuing the close collaboration with Equinor on Troll,” said Paal Eikeseth.

Construction and prefabrication will be executed at the company’s yard in Egersund. In addition, OneSubsea, of which Aker Solutions owns 20%, has previously been contracted for the subsea production system for this project.

The contract will start right away and is scheduled for completion at the end of 2027.

Lead image: Equinor | Øyvind Gravås and Even Kleppa

(WO) – CNOOC Limited announced that its Shenhai-1 Phase II natural gas development offshore China has commenced production.

The project is located in the Qiongdongnan basin, northern South China Sea, with an average water depth of approximately 900 m. The main production facilities include a new fixed production platform and three centralized subsea wellheads, with 12 development wells planned to be commissioned. It is expected to reach peak production of 162 MMcfgd and 3,931 bpd in 2025.

Mr. Wang Dongjin, Chairman of CNOOC, said, “The project has successfully overcome the world-class challenge of deepwater, high-pressure oil and gas reservoir development. It witnesses effective large-scale conversion of reserves into production from the ‘South China Sea trillion-cubic-meters-level gas region’ and provides stable supply of clean energy for the economic and social development of South China.”

“In the future, CNOOC Limited will accelerate the development of new quality productivity of marine energy and strengthen the exploration and development of deepwater oil and gas resources, thereby further contributing to the high-quality development of China’s offshore oil industry.”