A cornerstone of production Floating hub for the Norwegian Sea
The Skarv unit is one of Wintershall Dea’s most important assets. As well as its substantial oil and gas production and reserves, the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel is a hub for nearby fields and developments in the area.
Skarv started producing in 2012, but just in time. Production start was on New Year’s Eve.
Skarv is one of Wintershall Dea’s most important assets. Located in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea, it lies at the heart of a core strategic area containing several exploration concessions, discoveries and ongoing field developments. As well as delivering substantial oil and gas volumes, it is a hub for future field developments, where Wintershall Dea is a partner. Plus, as an asset which produces more gas that oil, Skarv mirrors Wintershall Dea’s gas-weighted strategy.
Skarv is developed with a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel producing hydrocarbons from four different oil and gas deposits: Skarv, Idun, Ærfugl and Gråsel. The oil is offloaded to shuttle tankers, while the gas is transported to the Kårstø terminal in an 80 km pipeline connected to the Åsgard Transport System (ÅTS).
Aker BP is the operator with a 23.8% share. Wintershall Dea has 28.1%. Equinor has 36.2% and PGNIG has 11.9%
In 2022, Skarv began a “gas blowdown” focused on producing, and exporting, natural gas rather than re-injecting it to support oil production. The planned blowdown accelerated the gas focus in the license, after the start of production from the Ærfugl field in 2020 also added gas volumes.
Skarv Satellite Project
In 2023, the Skarv license partners were given permission to pursue the Skarv Satellite Project, which involves the tie-in of three new fields to the Skarv FPSO. Wintershall Dea is partner in the Alve North and Idun North fields, both of which are primarily gas. The third field, Ørn is also gas. The new satellites help spread the operating expenditure of the Skarv FPSO, contribute to extending its lifetime while also helping to lower the carbon intensity of the facility.
The three new fields are a proof of concept for the scalability of the Skarv FPSO. Several nearby discoveries and exploration licenses could also become the source of future tie-ins to Skarv.
