Kvaerner has in a 50/50 joint venture with Aker Solutions been awarded a letter of intent with Statoil for modifications of the riser platform and the field center for the Johan Sverdrup development. The project will provide extensive positive ripple effects for a wide range of Kvaerner's and Aker Solutions' subcontractors. At peak, the work will involve about 2 000 employees in the two companies as well as subcontractor personnel. The total value of the agreement is around NOK 3.4 billion.

Kvaerner and Aker Solutions will, through a 50/50 owned joint venture, undertake engineering, procurement and construction of a new utility module of around 5 000 tonnes for the riser platform. In addition, the agreement includes modification work at the field center, and installation and integration work offshore in connection with phase 2 of the field development. The work will start in the second quarter of 2018 and will be completed in 2022.

The module will be constructed at Kvaerner's specialised facilities at Stord, Norway. For Kvaerner, the peak manning on the project will be around 550 people. The project will have positive effects for a wide range of subcontractors. Including spin-off effects for subcontractors, service companies, etc., the contract is expected to create work for around 2 000 people.

"We are looking forward to working with Aker Solutions in a focused joint venture with a common project management team. We will execute the new project based on all the improvements we have made in recent years for increased productivity and cost reductions", says Elly Bjerknes, executive vice president and responsible for topside projects in Kvaerner.

Kvaerner is already one of the suppliers with most deliveries to phase 1 of the Johan Sverdrup development. The contracts previously signed include the utility and living quarters topside, the three largest and most complex steel jacket substructures, as well as offshore hook-up of the riser platform together with Aker Solutions. Aker Solutions earlier this year completed front-end engineering and design (FEED) for phase 2 of the development, including for the module and work to integrate this with the riser platform.

"For us in the supplier industry, it is gratifying to see that our comprehensive improvement measures provide such results as we see today. Kvaerner's strategy is to grow within the market for upgrading and modification, typically by building new modules such as in this project. Our strength is that we over time have built expertise to deliver some of the most demanding projects in the world. Based on this, Kvaerner has been recognised throughout the industry to deliver safely, predictably and at the agreed schedule", says Idar Eikrem, interim President & CEO of Kvaerner.

About Johan Sverdrup field

Johan Sverdrup is estimated to hold 2.1 billion to 3.1 billion barrels of oil equivalents. It's expected to produce up to 660,000 barrels of oil equivalents a day when fully developed in 2022, equal to about a quarter of current domestic output. Production is slated to start in late 2019 and is predicted to last for about 50 years. Statoil is operator for the development, which spans three licenses. Other partners include Lundin Norway, Petoro, Maersk Oil and Aker BP.

About Kvaerner

Kvaerner is a leading provider of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services, and delivers offshore installations and onshore around the world. Kværner ASA, through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("Kvaerner"), is an international contractor and preferred partner for oil and gas operators and other engineering and fabrication contractors. Kvaerner and its approximately 2 700 HSSE-focused and experienced employees are recognised for delivering some of the world's most amazing and demanding projects.

In 2017, Kvaerner's Field Development segment had consolidated annual revenues of NOK 7.6 billion and the company reported an order backlog at 31 December 2017 of NOK 8.1 billion. Kvaerner is publicly listed with the ticker "KVAER" at the Oslo Stock Exchange.

About Aker Solutions

Aker Solutions is a global provider of products, systems and services to the oil and gas industry. Its engineering, design and technology bring discoveries into production and maximize recovery. The company employs approximately 14,000 people in about 20 countries. Go to http://akersolutions.com for more information on our business, people and values.

About Statoil

Statoil ASA (OSE: STL, NYSE: STO) is an international energy company with operations in more than 30 countries, present in several of the most important oil and gas provinces in the world. Building on more than 45 years of experience from oil and gas production on the Norwegian continental shelf, we are committed to accommodating the world's energy needs in a responsible manner, applying technology and creating innovative business solutions. Statoil is among the world's largest net sellers of crude oil and condensate, the second-largest supplier of natural gas to the European market, and we also have substantial processing and refining operations. Statoil’s equity oil and gas production is around 2 million barrels oil equivalent per day. Statoil has contracted a fleet of around 90 ship for transportation of oil and LNG.
Statoil is headquartered in Norway with 21,000 employees worldwide, and is listed on the New York and Oslo stock exchanges.