Development of Johan Sverdrup continues, and the giant discovery is forecast to reach plateau production of 550,000 to 650,000 boepd – that’s around 25% of the total Norwegian oil production.
In March 2016, drilling activities started and construction of the platform started marking important milestones for the project and its partners.
The giant Johan Sverdrup discovery, one of Norway’s largest ever discoveries, was a positive surprise to many geologists around the world.
The field is located in the area in which the first licence on the Norwegian Continental Shelf was awarded (PL001) in 1965 and, after several dry wells were drilled in the 1960s and 70s, was considered to have no exploration potential. Many thought it was impossible for oil to migrate to this area; however they were proved wrong.
The first discovery well in PL501 encountered oil in extremely high quality sandstone of Jurassic age and was followed up by the second oil discovery in PL265.
By May 2014, 31 appraisal wells, including sidetracks, have been drilled and confirmed the huge extent of the reservoir making Johan Sverdrup a world class field.
The success of Johan Sverdrup has not only given a boost to the oil industry in Norway but also challenged explorers worldwide to look for oil in well-explored mature basins.
When the field reaches its forecast plateau production of 550,000 to 650,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), it is expected to represent around 25 percent of the total Norwegian oil production.
In February 2015, the plan for development and production for Phase I was agreed by the five partners and submitted to Authorities.
Sitting in 120 meters of water, a field centre will comprise of four jacket based fixed platforms for processing; housing the risers, wellhead and drilling facilities and living quarters. These will be connected by bridge links.
The capacity of the first phase will be approximately 380,000 bpd and the capital investment, which includes the oil and gas export pipelines as well as a power from shore cable, is estimated to be NOK 117 billion.
The development plan outlines subsequent development phases needed to recover the vast resource of Johan Sverdrup in the coming 50 years.