Chevron to Use Subsea Compression at Jansz-Io

Aker Solutions announced Tuesday it has been awarded a master contract to support the delivery of a subsea compression system for the Chevron Australia-operated Jansz-Io field offshore Australia, marking the first time the technology will be used outside of Norway.

Compression helps to maintain plateau gas production rates as reservoir pressure drops over time, but such compressors have typically been installed on platforms over sea level. Placing this equipment on the seabed and near the wellheads improves recovery rates and reduces capital and operating costs, Aker Solutions said.

The first service order under the master contract will be for front-end engineering and design (FEED) of a subsea compression station that will boost recovery of gas more cost-effectively and with a smaller environmental footprint than a conventional semi-submersible compressor solution, Aker Solutions said.

"Australia will be the first place outside of Norway to use the subsea compression technology," said Luis Araujo, chief executive officer at Aker Solutions.

Aker Solutions, which delivered the world's first subsea compression system for Equinor's Åsgard field offshore Norway in 2015, worked with partners MAN Energy Solutions and ABB to reduce the size and cost of the compression system, Araujo said.

The company's FEED scope will also cover an unmanned power and control floater, as well as overall field system engineering services. The field control station will distribute onshore power to the subsea compression station.

The Jansz-Io field – part of the Chevron Australia-operated Gorgon Project, one of the world's largest natural gas developments – is located around 200 kilometers offshore the northwest coast of Western Australia at approximately 1,350 meters below the surface.