Collaboration Enabling Development
As the energy industry faces increasing demands for efficiency, sustainability, and cost reductions, collaboration and partnerships are becoming more relevant. Across industries, borders, and license boundaries, new forms of collaboration are emerging – with impressive results.
Technology transfer from other sectors gives the oil and gas industry access to solutions that were previously out of reach. Meanwhile, international partnerships foster knowledge-sharing and collective growth, particularly in complex projects where risk and capital requirements run high.
Marginal fields, major gains
Photo: Aker BP
One area gaining traction is collaboration across licenses and operators in extracting marginal fields. Here, thinking outside the box is essential, both for technical solutions and commercial models.
A prime example is the Skarv Satellite project, where three fields with different license structures have come together for a shared development, with Aker BP as the operator.
“The discoveries were similar, and by developing them together with Aker BP as Operator, we created synergies that wouldn’t have been possible alone,” explains Kristine Gunnarshaug, Project Manager at Aker BP.
With multiple stakeholders having different values and demands, challenges were inevitable. “You need to be willing to sit around the table and go through every component, making sure everyone walks away with something valuable,” Gunnarshaug notes.
A base for future partnership projects
The project used alliance contracts with suppliers and established a collaboration environment across license partners. This close-knit collaboration model helped streamline decisions and share infrastructure, like pipelines, more cost-effectively.
Gunnarshaug sums it up: “It’s not always about complicated models. A lot of the cooperation is based on respect, openness, and a willingness to listen. This is the future of the Norwegian continental shelf.”
At this year’s UTC, we ask: How can such collaboration models be scaled? And what does it take to make partnerships more than just paperwork?
More on this at Verftet in Bergen 10th – 12th of June.
