NKT has completed the power cable systems connecting six offshore oil and gas platforms located at Utsira High to the onshore power supply. This is said to play a central role in reducing carbon emissions from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) with 1.2 million tonnes annually.
NKT has provided turnkey DC cable systems for Johan Sverdrup 1 and 2 and from there continuing the cable connections with AC cables to the platforms Edvard Grieg, Gina Krog, Gudrun, Ivar Aasen and Sleipner.
All cables were produced at the company’s factory in Karlskrona, Sweden, while most of the installation was carried out by cable laying vessel NKT Victoria.
“It has been a pleasure to continue our long-term collaboration with Equinor and Aker BP by supporting the electrification of Utsira High,” said Claes Westerlind , Executive Vice President and Head of the high-voltage engineering and manufacturing center in Karlskrona, Sweden.
“We have had great teamwork with both customers and subcontractors which has been essential for us to bring the projects safely to the finish line without incidents or accidents. Collaboration has also been important to be delivering the cable projects on time and within budget, even during the challenging years with the pandemic.”
The electrification of the operations in Utsira High is said to have been a strategic focus for Equinor and Aker BP for several years paving the way for a significant reduction of the carbon emissions from the NCS.
According to NKT, the annual reduction of 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 is equivalent to 2.5 per cent of Norway’s total emissions in 2022 and supports reaching climate ambitions including the goal for net zero emissions by 2050.
Speaking about recent activities at Utsira High, at the end of 2022 Equinor started production from the Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 project, ensuring that the entire field is now online.
As it will produce 720,000 barrels of oil daily at a plateau, aiming to rise to 755,000 barrels per day, Equinor highlights that this field alone can meet 6-7 per cent of the daily oil demand in Europe with recoverable volumes totaling 2.7 billion barrels of oil equivalent.