Equinor says conditions in the area of its northernmost-operated field under development in the Arctic are not considerably more severe than other regions where it operates, but the company is preparing for icy conditions that could come its way.
Morten Opsal, Equinor’s drilling and well manager for the Johan Castberg development in the Arctic, shared insight on some of the steps being taken as the company and partners Eni and Petoro move toward first oil in 2022.
“The topside layout has been optimized to reduce the negative consequences of this risk and we have done full-scale testing on the lifeboats for icing,” Opsal said during the recently held Arctic Technology Conference in Houston.
He added that the risk for icebergs in the Johan Castberg area, which is about 100 km north of the Snøhvit Field in the Barents Sea, is low with the frequency being less than one per 10,000 years.
However, “there are uncertainties in these statistics we need to take that into account. So we have done extensive studies of ice hull interactions for the FPSO to see how we can optimize that and some reinforcement has been done to the hull due to the local ice pressure,”Opsal said. “In general we see that the Johan Castberg FPSO is a robust design in moderate ice conditions. …In general, ice risks will be handled by use of operational measures,” including production shutdown.
Floating structures are frequently impacted by winds, waves and currents, Opsal said. Johan Castberg will likely be no exception.
Companies like Equinor have been progressing exploration and development plans in the Arctic, which has returned to the spotlight—particularly in Norwegian waters—following the market downturn.
Source:epmag
