Norwegian offshore engineering contractor Aker Solutions has been awarded a contract from Shell UK for the delivery of a not permanently attended installation (NPAI) for the Jackdaw gas field located in the UK North Sea.

This comes about two months after Shell received regulatory approvals for the development of the Jackdaw field and only a week after Shell sanctioned the project much to the dismay of environmental groups.

Located east of Aberdeen in the North Sea, the field at peak production rates could represent over 6 per cent of projected UK North Sea gas production in the middle of this decade.

Announcing the award on Tuesday, Aker Solutions said it follows the completion of front-end engineering and design work (FEED), awarded in June 2019. The scope includes engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of the complete wellhead platform, consisting of topside and a steel jacket, as well as related load-out and offshore hook-up and commissioning.

Fabrication of the wellhead platform will happen at Aker Solutions’ yard in Verdal, Norway, and at its peak, the project will employ over 300 people. The steel substructure including a pre-drilling deck is to be delivered from Aker Solutions’ facilities to Shell in 2023, and the topside in 2024.

In the project, Aker Solutions will continue the cooperation with external suppliers Rambøll and Leirvik, who were part of developing the FEED.

Sturla Magnus, executive vice president and head of Aker Solutions’ topsides and facilities business, said: “We will build on our strong topside solutions and executions model which involves reusing facilities and equipment and bringing onboard solid experience from similar developments from both internal Aker Solutions resources and external partners.”

Aker Solutions will book the award as an order intake of between NOK 2-3 billion in the third quarter of 2022 in the Renewables and Field Development segment.

Kjetel Digre, chief executive officer of Aker Solutions, emphasised that the Jackdaw development contributes to the ambition of the British government to boost domestic energy output to enhance energy security, adding: “The project forms part of our broader intent to both play a key role in the transformation of Europe’s energy sector and help accelerate security of supplies.”