Development

Ivar Aasen is a field in the northern part of the North Sea, 30 kilometres south of the Grane and Balder fields. The water depth is 110 metres. Ivar Aasen was discovered in 2008, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 2013. The development comprises a production, drilling and quarters (PDQ) platform with a steel jacket and a separate jack-up rig for drilling and completion. The production started in 2016. First stage processing is carried out on the Ivar Aasen platform, and the partly processed fluids are transported to the Edvard Grieg platform for final processing and export. The Hanz field is tied-back to Ivar Aasen. Since 2023, the Ivar Aasen platform receives power from shore through the area solution for the Utsira High.

Reservoir

Ivar Aasen produces oil from sandstone reservoirs. The field consists of the 16/1-9 Ivar Aasen discovery and the small 16/1-7 (West Cable) discovery. The reservoir in the Ivar Aasen discovery consists of fluvial sandstone of Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic age in the Skagerrak and Sleipner Formations and shallow marine sandstone in the Middle Jurassic Hugin Formation. The reservoir is at a depth of 2400 metres. It is compartmentalised and has moderate to good quality. Parts of the reservoir have an overlying gas cap. The reservoir in the West Cable discovery is in fluvial sandstone in the Middle Jurassic Sleipner Formation. It is at a depth of 2950 metres and has moderate quality.

Recovery strategy

The Ivar Aasen reservoir is produced by pressure support from water injection. The West Cable reservoir is produced by pressure depletion.

Transport

Oil and gas are transported to the Edvard Grieg platform for final processing. The oil is exported by pipeline to the Grane Oil Pipeline, which is connected to the Sture terminal. The gas is exported in a separate pipeline to the Scottish Area Gas Evacuation (SAGE) system in the UK.

Status

Since start-up of production, additional injection and production wells have been drilled. Ivar Aasen production is on decline. The Symra field is under development as a tie-back to Ivar Aasen, and production is expected to start in 2027. The Ivar Aasen platform is equipped for tie-in of other nearby discoveries.