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. Production started in 2016. The platform is equipped for tie-in of a subsea template planned for the development of the Hanz field, and for possible development of other nearby discoveries. 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.
Reservoir
Ivar Aasen produces oil from sandstone reservoirs. The field consists of the discoveries 16/1-9 Ivar Aasen and 16/1-7 (West Cable). The 16/1-9 Ivar Aasen reservoir 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 lies at a depth of 2,400 metres. It is compartmentalised and has moderate to good quality. Parts of the reservoir have an overlying gas cap. The reservoir in 16/1-7 (West Cable) is in fluvial sandstone in the Middle Jurassic Sleipner Formation. It lies at a depth of 2,950 metres and has moderate quality.
Recovery
16/1-9 Ivar Aasen is produced by pressure support from water injection. 16/1-7 (West Cable) is produced by pressure support from an aquifer.
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 for further processing at the St Fergus terminal.
Status
The Ivar Aasen field produced 314 (341) boepd net to OKEA in 2020. Production availability was 94% (97%). The lower production and availability compared to 2019 was mainly a result of maintenance shutdown and production restrictions enforced by the Norwegian government. The Ivar Aasen field is powered by electricity from Edvard Grieg and will be supplied with power from shore as part of the joint development of Utsira High expected to commence in late 2022.