Lukas Mosser from Aker BP has been awarded the prestigious Arie Van Weelden Prize for 2024. The prize is awarded to a person under the age of 35 who has made a significant contribution in one or more disciplines within the geosciences.

It is EAGE (European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers) that awards the prize. EAGE’s justifies the award by saying that Lukas Mosser has been a pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to meet geoscientific and technical challenges from pore to reservoir scale.

His work stands out for being genuinely innovative and significant, setting new paradigms in geoscience, particularly in the interpretation and quantitative analysis of geophysical datasets. Lukas Mosser has contributed to a number of new solutions in geoscience that are used commercially today.

The prize was awarded at the EAGE Annual conference, which this year is being held in Oslo. The conference gathers more than 6,000 participants from all over Europe.

Photo: Ronny Setså / GeoPublishing

The oil discovery was confirmed in May 2023 in the Yggdrasil area and is the longest exploration well ever drilled on the Norwegian continental shelf. The discovery was estimated to be around 70 million recoverable barrels of oil equivalent, increasing the total resources in the Yggdrasil area to over 700 million barrels.

Øst Frigg Beta/Epsilon won the Exploration Innovation Prize because innovative methods were used when they drilled horizontal wells that were several kilometers long. You can read more about the well here: Record-breaking well behind the Yggdrasil discovery  – Aker BP

Torstein Skorve was subsurface Lead for Øst Frigg Beta/Epsilon during the drilling operation.

– Drilling NCS’s longest exploration well would not have been possible without good cooperation between drilling and wells (D&W) and exploration and reservoir development(ExpRes). We have faith and trust in each other, which means that we challenge not only each other, but also accepted truths about what is possible to achieve in a well, says Skorve.

– In the Øst Frigg Beta/Epsilon well, both ExpRes and D&W saw a common value in long, horizontal wells. We at ExpRes saw for every meter we drilled that we found increased oil volumes for the Øst Frigg Beta/Epsilon project at the same time that D&W gathered important drilling experience ahead of production well drilling at Frigg Gamma Delta and East Frigg Epsilon, he continues.

Vice president of exploration, Olav Antonio Blaich mentions good support from everyone in the company as an important success criterion for the project.

– It is so great that we are recognized for pushing the geological boundaries and challenging the established truths. It is also particularly important that we work in a company that invests so much in exploration, and who wishes to support new and good ideas, he says.

The Exploration Innovation Prize was awarded at the NCS Exploration – Recent Discoveries conference on 7 May. The prize is awarded to a company, team or license group that has made an innovative technological contribution to the search for oil and gas on the Norwegian continental shelf in recent years.

On Monday and Tuesday this week, we organized a hackathon at our offices in Fornebu. Together with external partners from Cognite, Aker Solutions, Microsoft and Tietoevry, they sat down to solve industry-specific problems.

This time, the theme of the hackathon was Generative AI and up front there were almost 20 suggestions for use cases submitted by the organization. In the end, four of them were selected: 

Use case 1: Offshore rotation and emergency preparedness  

Is it possible to make a program that finds the best rotation of offshore personnel to minimize the number of people on board while ensuring sufficient redundancy of the necessary competencies.  

Use case 2: Design and verification copilot  

Can copilots be used to increase efficiency in design and verification of new facilities? For instance, find relevant requirements from specific standards or rules, verify that a design is in accordance with the requirements set out in a standard or rule, and also generate a design from a set of requirements? 

Use case 3: Root cause analysis  

Failures on equipment offshore lead to increased downtime and operational costs. To improve operations and mitigate future failures, root cause analyses (RCA) are conducted. Finding the root cause involves searching for relevant information from a vast number of documents. Is it possible to use generative AI to accelerate the search time, leading to more efficient root cause analysis, which in turn could reduce downtime and increase value outtake?  

Use case 4: Asset tag groups from image boundaries 

Can we use copilots to automatically generate asset tag groups from images with drawn boundaries? For instance, retrieve and group relevant object information based on tags identified in P&ID drawings. 

Read about our last hackathon here: Aker BP Hackathon 2023: A celebration of data science! – Aker BP

Intensive, but productive days

For two days, the groups were working on their use case, before presenting their research to the rest of the audience.  

– I had a great time coordinating the hackathon and it was amazing to see how we could use copilots to tackle real-world problems and create innovative solutions. In total we had over 50 participants coming from all over Europe, from 5 different companies, joining in for the two days, says Eirik Aasen, Digital Platform Manager for Microsoft in Aker BP.

Simen Eldevik, Data & Development Manager in Aker BP, was also impressed by the groups’ effort.

– I am very happy with the energy of the groups and the willingness to jump out in the deep end of the pool. None of the use cases we selected were easy – we selected them exactly because they were challenging and were relevant to the industry, he says.

This is an amazing format for intense knowledge transfer and learning on interesting industry challenges! 

This applies to the lunch and dinner menus being served by the ESS catering company to offshore workers on all Aker BP installations, and will take effect starting 1 May this year.

“There are a lot of good reasons for increasing the share of Norwegian meat on our installations,” says Georg Vidnes, SVP Operations in Aker BP.

“The quality of Norwegian meat is good and we believe it’s important to support Norwegian farmers with this initiative. We also know that Norwegian meat ranks lowest in all of Europe when it comes to the use of antibiotics. Using local suppliers is sustainable and, not least, it’ll help ensure reliable deliveries when the meat is delivered locally,” says Vidnes.

Aker BP has nearly 200,000 overnight stays offshore each year, where about 400,000 plates of hot food are served for lunch and dinner. Significant amounts of meat and other ingredients are required for these offshore meals. ESS will be implementing the change to increase the share of an important main ingredient, Norwegian meat, from 25% to 75% on lunch and dinner plates.

“Prioritising Norwegian ingredients in the meat category, from Norwegian farms, strengthens the local economy and helps maintain jobs in the districts,” says General Manager Offshore of ESS, Ivan Vågstøl.

ESS views this as a considerable investment in Norwegian food production and value creation for Norwegian agriculture and the food industry.

“The Norwegian farmer is the cornerstone of our food supply network, and we’re proud to help showcase them and their products for our offshore guests,” says Vågstøl.

ESS looks forward to continuing its cooperation with Aker BP to promote Norwegian food production. Fatland, Jæder and Prima will supply the Norwegian ingredients.

“We’re very pleased that Aker BP is choosing to go local and support producers and businesses in Rogaland, as well as eventually on the Helgeland coast, to a greater extent than before,” says Stian Blom head SAFE representative in Aker BP, who proposed the increase through the works council (BU).

A digital tool developed at Aker BP uses artificial intelligence to significantly streamline the work of exploring for oil and gas. The so-called ‘exploration robot’ does not put geologists and geophysicists out of work but helps to increase quality of the work and utilize available data in a far better way than before.

“Our principle is to use computers for what computers are good at, which is to find patterns in large multi-dimensional datasets”, says Aina Juell Bugge, Senior Data Scientist at Aker BP.

“Our goal is to use machine learning and generative AI as an aid when we interpret seismic data, by finding and flagging possible exploration targets and prospects, and to provide data-based assessments of uncertainty in interpretations as a second opinion, says Juell Bugge.

When you drill an exploration well, there are often years of work behind it, and not least enormous amounts of data. And precisely for this reason, a tool that uses generative AI will be able to contribute to a significant change in the way we work.

Exploration work starts with data. Both new data, but also historical data that may have been collected over several decades. A large proportion is seismic data collected from the area where we are exploring, but also from other parts of the continental shelf if it contributes to a better understanding. This is combined with data from well logs and core samples. When all of this put together it amounts to a scale and complexity that the human brain is unable to handle.

We have been using computers to store and process the data for decades. But with the possibilities that opens up with artificial intelligence, the contribution from computers rises to a whole new level.

“There is no risk of machines taking over the explorationists’ jobs. Quite the contrary”, says Peder Aursand. Aursand is a Subsurface Manager at Aker BP.

“With the ‘exploration robot’, we have simply created a co-pilot for the explorationists that helps free up time that was previously used for repetitive and labor-intensive tasks. This time can now be used for creative processes and better understanding of the underground. But it requires that we work in a different way, and that we have people with a slightly different type of expertise than we have had up until now”, says Aursand.

Process engineer David Edwards walked around the deck of the production ship Alvheim when a good idea sprung to his mind. Now this idea has been put into practice, saving the environment from significant emissions of greenhouse gases.

Greatly simplified, the solution consists of one pipe and two valves. And the result is that gas that would otherwise have been flared is instead sent by pipeline to the UK so that it can be utilized for house heating and boiling tea water (among many other things).

The challenge was linked to the well clean-up that must be done in new wells before they can enter regular production of oil and gas. There will be drilling mud and gravel in the well, and in addition the well will contain a special completion fluid which is necessary for the completion work. To wash this out, the well is run with as high flow rates as possible to a designated separator on deck. The gas from this process is vented out to the flare tower where it is burned.

Simple and ingenious solution
Some time back, process engineer David Edwards was walking on deck at the Alvheim FPSO. Then he sees the pipe that brings gas from the third-party separator to the flame tower. By turning his gaze slightly to the left, he sees the pipe system that brings gas from the producing well to the export pipeline.

“There and then I thought – what if we connect a pipe between the two systems so that we don’t have to burn valuable gas”, says Edwards.

The idea was quickly put into practice. Calculations showed that it was possible to implement, and if the manufacturing and installation happened at record speed, it could be ready for the start-up of the KEG (Kobra East Gekko) field, which was to be connected to Alvheim.

“We got the last parts for the system on board the week before KEG was to commence production, so there was no time to carry out test runs. So, you could say that the very first test was done when we put it into use”, says David Edwards.

“Then it is extra fun that the system turned out to work even a little better than the calculations suggested”, he says.

Significant emission cuts
With long multi-lateral wells, the clean-up process can last for several days. As a result, the amount of gas that is normally burned also becomes significant.

“We have now received real figures for the emission reduction from KEG. Although we have had some challenges with the compressors, they show that we have managed to extract 1 million cubic meters of gas, which would have resulted in CO2 emissions of 2,500 tons if we had flared it off, says David Edwards.

He also points out that the solution will be able to be used for future wells in the field, and that the experience and knowledge they are building up mean that a similar solution can perhaps also be installed in several fields.

“This is really what we can call a three-for-the-price-of-one”, says Edwards.

“We save the environment from emissions, save CO2 tax, and we get income from the gas we can sell.

Aker BP ASA is the Operator of Alvheim. Licensee is ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS.

The Norwegian authorities are offering Aker BP ownership interest in 27 exploration licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf in the APA 2023 licensing round. For 17 of the licenses Aker BP is also granted operatorship. The award consolidates our position as the most active independent exploration company on the NCS.

“We are very pleased with the award that was announced today. It reflects our comprehensive application and gives us a foundation for maintaining our ambitious exploration strategy”, says Per Øyvind Seljebotn, SVP Exploration and Reservoir Development in Aker BP.

Aker BP is offered exploration acreage in all areas of the Norwegian continental shelf, the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea.

“Our strategy is to have a portfolio of acreage that provides a good balance between exploration wells close to existing infrastructure, and wells that can lay the foundation for independent developments if we make discoveries. For some of the exploration prospects, we are particularly targeting gas. It is more important than ever that Norway produce gas to secure the energy supply to Europe”, says Seljebotn.

APA – Awards in Predefined Areas, is the annual licensing round that includes mature areas of the Norwegian continental shelf. These are areas with known geology and a relatively well-developed infrastructure with production facilities and pipelines.

The award in TFO 2023 was announced by Minister of Energy Terje Aasland at the Oil and Energy Policy Seminar in Sandefjord today. 24 companies were offered ownership interest in a total of 62 licenses.

Aker BP contributes to the establishment of a kelp cultivation plant in the sea off Frøya in Trøndelag. The plant will remove CO2 from the cycle. Already in the summer of 2024, the first kelp will be harvested.

SINTEF Ocean will build and operate the kelp plant in the sea outside Frøya in Trøndelag County. The authorities have recently granted a license for commissioning.

During the growth period, the kelp plants bind CO2 through photosynthesis. The kelp will be ready for harvesting after 6-10 months in the sea. Further it will be processed into biochar through chemical processes. Tests will also be done on whether the kelp can be deployed on the seabed in deep water for permanent storage of CO2. In this way, kelp represents a climate-positive solution that quickly helps to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

The plant is part of the Norwegian Kelp Center which will be utilized by several research projects, including the project ‘Seaweed Carbon Solutions’ which will develop and demonstrate a scalable technology for industrial kelp cultivation, with carbon capture as the main goal. The project is a collaboration between SINTEF, DNV, Equinor and Aker BP, with support from the Research Council of Norway. Recently, Wintershall Dea and Ocean Rainforest also joined as partners.

Norway’s long coastline is suitable for industrial cultivation of kelp. Calculations show that a kelp plant of only one square kilometer in size can produce 20,000 tons of kelp and by this capture 3,000 tons of CO2 annually. In addition to carbon capture, kelp and other macroalgae can be used in a variety of products such as food, animal feed, medicine, packaging, and fertilizers.

Big potential
The kelp plant outside Frøya will initially cover 200 acres and the first seedlings were recently deployed in the sea. The plan is to harvest at least 200 tons of kelp in the summer next year.
“We see great potential for this solution. 200 tons of fresh kelp will capture around 25 tons of CO2 and this is a solution that can easily be scaled up”, says senior researcher Jorunn Skjermo at SINTEF Ocean.

This week, Worley Rosenberg, Aker Solutions and Aker BP marked the first steel cut for the utility module for the new platform at the Valhall field centre, PWP. The contract secures work at the yard in Stavanger for more than 1000 people and more than 50 apprentices.

“We couldn’t get a better start for 2024. This contract secures activity in Norway and in the Stavanger region. We made a very deliberate choice in picking a solid Norwegian yard to deliver the utility module, to secure jobs and expertise in the industry in Norway for the period before the foreseen wave of projects within renewables,” says Knut Sandvik, Aker BP’s SVP Projects.

In total, the Valhall PWP (production and wellhead platform) comprises three large topside modules with a total weight of more than 15,000 tonnes. Rosenberg Worley will deliver the utility module weighing 4800 tonnes. The platform topside will be assembled at Aker Solutions Stord.

“The development is proceeding according to plan. We’re actually starting the construction work here at Rosenberg Worley a month ahead of plan, thanks to good engineering work and deliveries by everyone involved”, says Aker BP Vice President Projects Rannveig Storebø.

“We’re creating significant values alongside Worley Rosenberg. Suppliers all along the Norwegian coast are building expertise and refining technology while also delivering to profitable development projects and securing jobs,” says Rannveig Storebø. 

Operator Aker BP and licence partner Pandion are implementing a joint development in the Valhall area. The Valhall PWP-Fenris project (with PGNiG as licensee in the Fenris licence) is being delivered by the Fixed Facilities Alliance between Aker BP, Aker Solutions and ABB. The contract with Rosenberg Worley is awarded by Aker Solutions on behalf of the alliance.

“This is a major project for Worley Rosenberg, and the largest new-build we’ve done in 20 years”, says Jan Narvestad, Managing Director of Worley Rosenberg.

“It means we can keep a high activity level and maintain capacity and expertise both for the extension of ongoing projects, and onward to future projects within the renewable sector. More than 1000 of our employees will contribute on the Valhall PWP project, and at the same time 50-60 apprentices will earn their trade certificates here at Rosenberg. This isn’t just a vote of confidence for us, this assignment is important for the entire region,” says Jan Narvestad, at Worley Rosenberg. 

“At Aker Solutions, we aim to retain and develop expertise in the industry, and we’re very pleased about the high activity level the Valhall PWP module is securing in Stavanger. The apprentices contributing in this project also helps building the future of the industry. The collaboration with Rosenberg Worley is a very good example that even competitors are able to cooperate and utilise the supplier base in the best interests of the industry in Norway,” says Sturla Magnus, Aker Solution’s executive vice president, new build.

Valhall PWP-Fenris is one of the largest development projects on the Norwegian shelf over the next few years, with total investments of around NOK 50 billion. The development comprises a new production and wellhead platform (PWP) at the Valhall field centre, and an unmanned installation (UI) at Fenris located 50 km away. Fenris will be tied into Valhall through pipelines on the seabed. Production is planned to commence in 2027.

During the construction period, the Norwegian content for Valhall PWP-Fenris is estimated at more than 65 per cent. Several hundred Norwegian suppliers will contribute to this development.

The utility module will be 55 metres tall, 32 metres wide and 54 metres long, and weigh around 4800 tonnes. When finalized it will be transported by barge to Aker Solutions’ yard at Stord for installation on the topsides prior to transport to the Valhall field in the summer of 2026.

“This development highlights the fact that Valhall will continue to deliver revenues to the broader Norwegian society for several decades to come. And is  a proof that we’re delivering on the ambition of producing two billion barrels of oil equivalents from the Valhall area over its life span,” Storebø concludes.

Modifications will be made to the Ivar Aasen platform to accommodate the new Symra field which is in the development phase. The first steel components for the project have now been cut at Aibel’s yard in Haugesund.

“It is always an important milestone for a project when you go from drawings to actual production of steel components. We are very pleased to get started with the pre-fab work as planned”, says Magnus Holm-Gjerde, project manager for the developments on Utsira High.

The development project for Utsira High in the central part of the North Sea, consists of two separate tie-in projects. Symra will be connected to the Ivar Aasen platform, while Solveig Phase 2 will be connected to the Edvard Grieg platform.

Going forward Aibel in Haugesund will manufacture components for inventory before the start of installation work on the Ivar Aasen platform commences in April next year. These activities will continue in parallel until the start of production from the Symra field, and further during the installation of a new system for water injection.

The Utsira High projects comprise 93 million barrels of oil equivalent in estimated recoverable resources. Aker BP is the operator for both developments. License partners are Equinor and Sval in Symra and OMV and Wintershall Dea in Solveig.