Equinor has submitted plans to partly electrify the Sleipner field with the aim to cut emission on the Norwegian continental shelf.
The investment by Equinor and partners Vår Energi, LOTOS and KUFPEC will contribute to the goal of zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2050.
The electrification of the Sleipner field centre will entail laying a new power cable from Sleipner to the Gina Krog platform, which will be tied into the area solution for power from shore on the Utsira High. During periods when the power need is greater than the capacity in the area solution, Sleipner will use gas turbines, like they do today, to cover the power need.
Emissions savings from all the fields connected to the area solution on the Utsira High are estimated at around 1.15 million tonnes of CO₂ on average per year. Sleipner’s share of this reduction is expected to be more than 150,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
Illustration: Power from shore to the Utsira High and the Sleipner field centre.
Arne Sigve Nylund, Executive Vice President for Development & Production Norway said the Sleipner field has been at the very forefront of technological development and innovation, in part through capturing, injecting and storing more than 20 million tonnes of CO₂ since 1996.
“Therefore, it is extremely gratifying that the partners in the Sleipner licence have decided to further develop the field in line with our ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the NCS,” says.
In October 2019, the Johan Sverdrup licence, together with the partners in Gina Krog, Ivar Aasen, Edvard Grieg and Sleipner with its tie-in fields, reached agreement on allocation of shore-based power from the Utsira High. Power from shore to the area solution is part of the second phase of the Johan Sverdrup development, and will be designed with an additional capacity of 35 MW in order to meet more new power needs in the time ahead.
Aibel was awarded a FEED contract (front-end engineering and design) in October 2019 to electrify Sleipner. This contract has now been expanded to an EPCIC contract (engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning).
The contract is contingent on the authorities’ final approval of the amended plan for development and operation.
An investment decision has also been made for electrification of Gina Krog. This was a requirement from the authorities in connection with approval of the field’s plan for development and operation. The EPCIC contract to complete the work of electrifying Gina Krog has also been awarded to Aibel.
To enable electrification of the Sleipner field, a 28-kilometre high voltage cable must be laid between Gina Krog and Sleipner. Gina Krog will be connected to Johan Sverdrup by a 62-kilometre high voltage cable.
The plan is to connect Sleipner and Gina Krog to the power from shore area solution to the Utsira High by the end of 2022.