Saipem Castorone at the Johan Sverdrup field in the North Sea. Source: Bo B. Randulff/Roar Lindefjeld/Equinor ASA

The last section of what is now Norway’s longest and largest oil pipeline was installed recently, right next to the riser platform at the Johan Sverdrup field, a prospect with expected recoverable resources of 2.7 billion barrels of oil equivalent. The 36 in pipeline extends 283 km from the Mongstad oil terminal outside Bergen to the giant field in the North Sea. The deepest point of the oil pipeline lies 537 m below the sea surface.

The vessel Saipem Castorone will next lay the 156 km gas pipeline that will extend from the Johan Sverdrup field to the Statpipe pipeline, from where gas from the field will eventually be shipped to Kårstø. The pipeline installation operations are expected to be completed during the autumn.

With three jackets, two topsides, one bridge, more than 400 km of pipelines and 200 km of power cables, the 2018 campaign is probably the busiest installation campaign ever for a project on the Norwegian continental shelf.

In 2019, the last two topsides and remaining bridges will be put in place. Johan Sverdrup will be developed in several phases. Phase 1 is expected to start up in November 2019 with production capacity estimated at 440,000 barrels of oil per day. Phase 2 is expected to start up in 2022, with full field production estimated at up to 660,000 barrels of oil per day. Peak production will be equivalent to 25% of all Norwegian petroleum production.