By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com | The Johan Sverdrup oilfield offshore Norway, the largest oilfield in Western Europe, resumed production early on Tuesday after shutting down on Monday due to a power outage.
As of Tuesday midday local time, Johan Sverdrup, which can pump 755,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) at peak production levels, had restored output and reached two-thirds of capacity, a spokesperson for the operator, Equinor, told Reuters.
Production at the huge oilfield in the North Sea was shut down on Monday following an onshore power outage. Oil prices spiked by $2 a barrel on the news but later eased and gave up the gains early on Tuesday.
Equinor said the power outage halted the electricity supply to the offshore platforms. The company immediately began working on the converter station.
Johan Sverdrup is the biggest producing oil field in Western Europe. It began producing in 2019 and its peak output is seen either this year or next. The peak production level is at 755,000 barrels daily, significantly higher than initial peak output expectations of 660,000 bpd. The peak output was hit for the first time this September when Johan Sverdrup produced 756,000 bpd. The largest oilfield output alone is a third of Norway’s total oil production.
Johan Sverdrup is estimated to have reserves of 2.7 billion barrels of oil equivalents, and the entire largest oilfield is now in production. Phase One of Johan Sverdrup was put online in October 2019, and Phase Two came on stream in December 2022.
According to Equinor, thanks to high levels of electrification, Johan Sverdrup has some of the lowest CO2 emissions of any oil field in the world.
One barrel of oil produced at Sverdrup emits 0.67 kg of CO2 per barrel of produced oil, compared to the global average is 15 kg per barrel. This is mainly due to power from shore, the Norwegian firm says.
Credit: Story By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
The Johan Sverdrup – Largest Oil Field in Western Europe
The Johan Sverdrup oil field is one of the largest on the Norwegian continental shelf. Discovered in 2010 and named after Johan Sverdrup, a prominent Norwegian politician from the 19th century, it is situated approximately 155 kilometers west of Stavanger, Norway, in the North Sea. It stands out due to its size and production capacity, with estimates suggesting it holds between 2.2 and 3.2 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
The development of Johan Sverdrup is phased. The first phase commenced production in October 2019, with facilities designed to handle up to 440,000 barrels of oil per day. The second phase, which started production around the end of 2022, increased the total production capacity to around 660,000 barrels per day. The field’s total peak production could account for around 25% of all petroleum production from the Norwegian shelf at its peak, highlighting its significant role in Norway’s oil sector.
Equinor is the field operator, working in partnership with several other stakeholders, including Lundin Petroleum, Petoro, Aker BP, and Total. The field is notable for its use of advanced technology and a focus on reducing carbon emissions. It is powered from the shore and uses electricity generated from renewable sources in Norway, significantly lowering carbon dioxide emissions associated with offshore oil and gas production.
