Crude output from Johan Sverdrup phase 2 offline

Crude production from the second phase of Norway's giant Johan Sverdrup oil field remains shut in today after a power outage earlier in the week. Output from the field's first phase of development remains online.

Production from phase 2 — which accounts for 185,000 b/d of the field's full capacity of 720,000 b/d — was halted on 11 January after a power outage on the cables that supply electricity from shore to the platform, operator Equinor told Argus.

A revised loading programme shows three January cargoes of Johan Sverdrup have been deferred into next month, reducing this month's exports to 564,000 b/d and raising February's loadings to 738,000 b/d.

The second phase of Johan Sverdrup, which includes a new platform and 28 new wells, only came on stream in mid-December. The first phase started up in October 2019 with an initial capacity of 440,000 b/d, but that was subsequently raised to 535,000 b/d.

Equinor is aiming to increase Johan Sverdrup's full production plateau capacity to 755,000 b/d from 720,000 b/d but it has not given a timeframe.

By Kuganiga Kuganeswaran