Johan Sverdrup electrification
OperationalO&G ElectrificationNO300 MW80 kV200 km2018
Basic information
7 fieldsAlso Known As
Power from shore (to Johan Sverdrup) · Power from shore commences at Johan Sverdrup · Johan Sverdrup Power from Shore (I + II) · Electrifying the Johan Sverdrup oil and gas field · Powering Johan Sverdrup from shore
Status
operational
Capacity
100–300 MW
Type
og electrification
Expected Life
50 years
Website
Supply Chain (6)
Project Timeline (12)
4 Feb 2025Major Outage
On 4 February 2025, Johan Sverdrup and associated fields experienced a brief shutdown after power supply issues onshore disrupted the shore-based electrification system feeding the field, forcing production to be halted until the problem was resolved.[9]
4 Feb 2025System Restoration
Following an onshore power supply issue that briefly shut down Johan Sverdrup on 4 February 2025, Equinor restored power from shore the same day, allowing the field to resume operations and ramp back up towards full production by 5 February.[9]
28 Mar 2023Cable Installation Complete
By 28 March 2023, NKT had completed the installation of the high‑voltage power cable systems that connect six offshore platforms on the Utsira High, including Johan Sverdrup Phases 1 and 2, to onshore power supply via turnkey DC links from Johan Sverdrup and onward AC connections to Edvard Grieg, Gina Krog, Gudrun, Ivar Aasen and Sleipner, enabling large CO₂ emission reductions from the electrified fields.
~Sept 2019Onshore Construction Start
After the summer of 2019, Aibel commenced the main construction phase of the Power from Shore II onshore converter substation at Haugsneset, expanding the Johan Sverdrup power‑from‑shore plant to secure additional land‑based electricity supply for the further development of Johan Sverdrup and to establish the wider Utsira High area electrification solution.
9 Oct 2018First Power
On 9 October 2018 the Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Kjell‑Børge Freiberg, officially switched on the Johan Sverdrup power‑from‑shore system, fully operationalising the HVDC link from the onshore converter station at Haugsneset near Kårstø to the Johan Sverdrup field centre. This energisation marked the start of long‑term electricity supply from shore (100 MW in Phase 1) to support commissioning and subsequent operation of the offshore installations with very low CO₂ emissions.
Jul 2018Other Permit Awarded
Authority: Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) · Licence: Approval of power-from-shore electrification plan for Johan Sverdrup
In July 2018, Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) approved the plan for supplying the Johan Sverdrup facilities with power from the onshore grid via an onshore converter station at Haugsneset and a subsea cable, authorising implementation of the power-from-shore electrification scheme.
9 May 2018Cable Installation Start
On 9 May 2018, the cable‑laying vessel NKT Victoria began installing nearly 200 km of high‑voltage DC power cables bundled with a fibre‑optic cable from the Johan Sverdrup onshore converter station at Haugsneset near Kårstø out to the Johan Sverdrup field centre in the North Sea, marking the start of subsea cable installation for the field’s power‑from‑shore electrification system.
6 Jul 2015Planning Consent Awarded
Authority: Olje- og energidepartementet (Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy) · Licence: Anleggskonsesjon under the Norwegian Energy Act for electrical installations supplying Johan Sverdrup phase 1 with power from shore
On 6 July 2015, the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (Olje- og energidepartementet) granted Equinor (then operator of Johan Sverdrup) a licence to build and operate the electrical facilities providing shore power for phase 1 of the Johan Sverdrup development. The consent, issued under the Norwegian Energy Act, covers two approximately 200 km 80 kV DC subsea cables from Haugsneset at the Kårstø industrial area to the Johan Sverdrup field centre, a converter station and landfall facilities at Haugsneset, expansion of the existing 300 kV switching station at Kårstø, and associated 300 kV onshore AC cable connections.
16 Mar 2015Converter Supplier Selected
ABB awarded USD 155 million contract by Statoil to provide the HVDC power-from-shore system for Johan Sverdrup Phase 1, including two ±80 kV, 100 MW HVDC Light converter stations (one onshore at Haugsneset, one offshore).
2014Regulatory Other
Authority: Norwegian government (royal resolution) · Licence: Policy decision to require power-from-shore electrification of Utsira High developments, including Johan Sverdrup
In 2014, the Norwegian government adopted a policy decision to electrify all future oil and gas developments in the Utsira High area, including Statoil’s Johan Sverdrup project, via power from shore, establishing a common requirement of around 250 MW of shore-supplied electricity and creating the regulatory basis for the Johan Sverdrup electrification scheme.