Aker BP said production has started from its shallow water Hanz subsea tieback in the North Sea to the Ivar Aasen platform 15 km away, the company said in an April 22 news release.

In February, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate gave project operator Aker BP the go-ahead to start production for the $400 million investment targeting total reserves around 20 MMboe.

Aker BP’s Hanz Subsea Tieback Goes Onstream
Aker BP announced first production at the Hanz subsea tieback to Ivar Aasen on April 22. (Source: Aker BP)

Hanz, discovered in 1997 in PL028B, re-uses subsea production systems from the Jette Field, marking the first time that production equipment has been re-used in a new field development on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

The development also uses a cross-flow well for water injection, which reduces power consumption, chemicals use and the required amount of equipment on the seabed. 

“This development solution will be more cost-efficient and have a smaller environmental footprint than originally planned for,” Stine Kongshaug McIntosh, vice president of the Edvard Grieg and Ivar Aasen projects, said in a press release.

Aker BP operates PL028B, containing Hanz, with 35% interest on behalf of partnerd Equinor with 50% interest and Sval Energi with 15% interest.

 “Development of the Hanz discovery is important for the development of the Ivar Aasen area,” Aker BP CEO Karl Johnny Hersvik said in a press release. “Production start from Hanz in 2024 will help us maintain good production from the Ivar Aasen platform.”

The Ivar Aasen Field is located on the Utsira High in the northern part of the North Sea. It was discovered in 2008, and was joined with other discoveries in the area, including Hanz. First oil was achieved at Ivar Aasen in late 2016.

Offshore