The Johan Sverdrup field is expected to increase its daily production capacity up to 535,000 barrels of oil by mid-2021. This is around 100,000 barrels more than the original basis at start-up in October 2019.

Equinor and its partners tested the plant capacity in November 2020 to verify a possible production rise. Rates up to 535,000 barrels of oil per day were tested.

The capacity increase depends on water-injection, which is planned for this year.

“This increase is possible because the field production has been very good and stable from day one, and the wells have produced even better than expected,” says Rune Nedregaard, vice president for Johan Sverdrup operations.

This will be the third capacity increase since the field came on stream October 2019.

The Johan Sverdrup field is powered from shore with very low CO2 emissions per barrel. In 2020 one barrel of oil produced at the field emitted below 0.2 kg CO2 – almost 100 times lower than the global average. Emissions during the field life are estimated at less than 0.7kg CO2 per produced barrel.

The barrels from Johan Sverdrup is of high value with a break even below USD 20 per barrel for the full field development.

PARTNERS: Equinor: 42.6% (operator), Lundin Energy Norway: 20%, Petoro: 17.36%, Aker BP: 11.5733% and Total: 8.44%.

JOHAN SVERDRUP IN BRIEF

• Third largest: Johan Sverdrup is the third largest oil field on the Norwegian continental shelf, with expected resources of 2.7 billion barrels of oil equivalent.
• Low emissions: One barrel of oil produced at Sverdrup has emitted 0.17 kilogrammes of CO2 in the first year – almost 100 times lower CO2 emissions than the global average (measured in kilogrammes of CO2 per barrel produced). This is mainly due to power from shore. 
• Profitable production: In its first year on stream, Johan Sverdrup produced oil worth some NOK 50 billion, i.e. some 130 million barrels of oil (based on an average price of 40 USD/boe.)
• High recovery factor: The ambition for the field is to achieve a recovery factor of more than 70 percent. 
• Partners: Equinor: 42.6% (operator), Lundin Norway: 20%, Petoro: 17.36%, Aker BP: 11.5733% and Total: 8.44%.

KeyFacts Energy: Equinor Norway country profile