Aker BP ASA started Phase 2 production at Ærfugl field in the Norwegian Sea. The Ærfugl reservoir (formerly Snadd) was discovered in 2000 and lies just west of Skarv field, about 210 km west of Sandnessjøen in 350-450 m of water. It is Aker BP’s northernmost producing field in the Norwegian Sea.
The Ærfugl development consists of subsea installations and is tied into the existing FPSO production vessel on Skarv. Ærfugl has been developed in two phases, with three wells in Phase 1 in the southern part and another three wells in phase 2 in the northern part. The remaining Phase 2 wells are scheduled to come on stream in fourth-quarter 2021. Aker BP plans to tie-in future developments in the area.
The reservoir—2,800 m below the seabed—contains gas and condensate in sandstone of Cretaceous age in the Lysing formation. Oil precipitates when it is produced up to atmospheric pressure, and gas producers on Ærfugl are also the largest oil producers at Skarv.
The reservoir holds around 300 MMboe, which will add 5 years to the life of the FPSO. CO2 emissions are expected to be reduced by 30-40% per bbl produced.
Aker BP is operator at Ærfugl (30%) with partners Equinor Energy ASA (30%), Wintershall DEA Norge ASA (25%), and PGNiG Upstream Norway AS (15%).