Final wells come on stream on Ærfugl

The final two wells of the Ærfugl field in Norway have safely come on stream, completing the development, and adding significant gas volumes to the Skarv area. The field is operated by AkerBP, Wintershall Dea is a project partner with shares of 28%.

Developed in two phases, the gas and condensate field is a tie back from two separate reservoirs in the Norwegian Sea to the Skarv FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading Unit). It is located some 210 kilometres West of Sandnessjøen (Nordland county) on the West Coast of Norway and about 50 kilometres South of the Artic Circle. Phase 1 of the project was completed last year.

“The field, expertly delivered by operator AkerBP and the rest of the partnership, supports our position in the Norwegian Sea, helping to make Skarv a production hub for the whole area. Ærfugl also underpins our gas position, bringing extra volumes on stream at a strategically important time for the partnership and the whole of the Norwegian society,” said Synnøve Helland, Wintershall Dea Norge VP for Non-Operated Assets.

With similar ownership as Skarv, the Ærfugl tie-in significantly lowers the emissions per barrel for Skarv Unit due to the increased share of production from Ærfugl. Operator AkerBP ranks Ærfugl as one of the most profitable developments in Norway and predicts it will extend the lifetime of the Skarv field for an additional five years.

“The Ærfugl development is an excellent example of how we try to get value from the areas around our key assets,” said Lars Olav Martinsen, Wintershall Dea Norge Asset Manager. “The Skarv area is one of our core regions in Norway, and the Wintershall Dea asset team has been instrumental in accelerating the delivery of Phase 2.”

Wintershall Dea has a 28% share of Ærfugl within the Skarv Unit. Operator Aker BP has 24%, Equinor has 36% and PGNiG has 12%.