Aker BP has started production from the Skarv Satellites, a year ahead of the original schedule. The project brings three Norwegian Sea fields, Alve Nord, Idun Nord and Ørn, on stream together, adding about 120 million barrels of oil equivalent of recoverable resources near Aker BP's existing Skarv hub.
Three fields, one hub
Alve Nord, Idun Nord and Ørn sit near the Skarv field in the northern Norwegian Sea. Each was developed as a separate subsea development, with a subsea template and two wells, then tied back to the Skarv floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO). A tie-back connects a new field's wells to an existing platform's processing and storage capacity instead of building a new one. Aker BP coordinated all three fields as the Skarv Satellite Project, or SSP. The combined developments have a CO2 intensity of about 4.5 kilograms of CO2 per barrel of oil equivalent, which Aker BP ties to using the Skarv FPSO's existing infrastructure.
CEO Karl Johnny Hersvik called the startup "an important milestone" for the company, saying the single integrated project brought three new fields on stream a year early through what he described as close collaboration between employees, alliance partners and suppliers. He added that the Satellites startup completes delivery of "the entire portfolio of subsea tie-back projects sanctioned in 2022."
Delivery and suppliers
Aker BP delivered the project through its alliance model, working with OneSubsea, Subsea7, Aker Solutions and Halliburton, plus Saipem during the drilling phase. About 60 percent of project deliveries were sourced from Norwegian suppliers.
Ownership across the three licenses
| Field (license) | Aker BP | Partners |
|---|---|---|
| Alve Nord (PL 127C) | 58.1% (operator) | Harbour Energy 20.0%, ORLEN Upstream Norway 11.9%, JAPEX Norge 10.0% |
| Idun Nord (PL 159D) | 23.8% (operator) | Equinor 36.2%, Harbour Energy 28.1%, ORLEN Upstream Norway 11.9% |
| Ørn (PL 942) | 30.0% (operator) | ORLEN Upstream Norway 40.0%, Equinor 30.0% |
Aker BP expects the Skarv Satellites to account for a significant share of its production in the Skarv area for several years.
