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Even with an increasing focus on renewables, Europe still needs a stable flow of oil and gas to meet its energy needs. For Thomas Bakkemo, seeing our new production ship for Johan Castberg leaving its dock was a big step in the right direction.

“Seeing the ship sail from the yard here at Stord was quite an emotional experience,” says Thomas Bakkemo.

As responsible for electrical engineering, he has followed the construction of the production ship since start-up in 2018, and followed it all the way to the Barents Sea, 240 kilometres northwest of Hammerfest. There, the floating plant will be anchored with 15 anchors, before oil and gas production starts towards the end of the year.

At that point, Thomas will have followed the construction phase of the turret all the way from the drawing board to actual operations. The turret is the advanced swivelling system on board the ship that is connected to the seabed, allowing Johan Castberg to rotate in all directions with the weather and keep on deliver consistently even in challenging conditions.

“As a young person, it was the sea, technical challenges, and electronics that attracted me to the job, so the combination I have in this project suits me perfectly,” says Thomas.

Photo: Elisabeth Sahl and Roar Lindefjeld/Equinor

He has spent the last six years working on Johan Castberg, a long period with a steep learning curve. Thomas participated in the initial construction in Singapore, the turret construction in Dubai, and followed the completion of the ship at Aker Solutions’ yard in Stord, where Johan Castberg has been docked since April 2022.

“It’s been incredibly fun to follow the entire design and construction process. My team has laid all the cables inside and outside between the modules and connected them. Now we have finished the onshore testing, and the ship has left the dock. Setting sail and entering the next phase is exciting!” he says with enthusiasm.

He makes no secret of the fact that the work has sometimes been challenging, not least the commute between Stord and Balsfjord in Troms, where he both grew up, and still lives.

“Innovation often comes at a cost. For me, there is no doubt in my mind that it’s been worth it. Johan Castberg is a good example of how new technology can be used to produce oil and gas with the lowest possible emissions,” he says.

Thomas is referring to how Johan Castberg has been built to be as energy-efficient as possible and explains that a lot of his motivation comes from being able to think creatively and come up with good solutions. As an electrician, he is also proud to have contributed to making the production ship ready for partial electrification, should it be needed.

“Many people in Europe heat their homes with Norwegian gas. If we stopped supplies of natural gas to Europe, many people would not be able to heat their homes and would suffer freezing conditions in winter. Until we have something better in place, we need to turn every stone, be innovative, and optimise existing solutions,” says Thomas.

Equinor currently supplies energy to about 170 million people, and European governments are clear: there is strong demand for Norwegian energy. Several oil and gas fields are nearing depletion, and even with an increasing focus on renewables, the exploration and production of oil and gas are still crucial for ensuring a stable and reliable energy supply to the continent in the coming years. The Johan Castberg field is expected to produce for 30 years and is designed for a daily production of nearly 220,000 barrels.

“The energy transition is larger and more complex than many people realise, but I sense that more people are beginning to understand the nuances and issues better, and I think that’s good. You can’t just switch off such an important energy source,” says Thomas, adding:

“For me, this has been an incredibly rewarding process that has given me a lot of pride. We aim to deliver energy-efficient products, and everything should be safe and secure. Knowing we can achieve that gives me immense drive. Furthermore, all the knowledge and experience from this project can be transferred to renewable energy, and the money we earn will help fund development of renewables. While oil and gas will still be an important part of our energy in the future, there is no doubt that we need to shift towards more sustainable and climate-friendly energy production,” he says

He’s concerned that the global energy transition is still moving too slowly. Having always had a close relationship with nature, often going hiking or sailing, he takes the nature’s warning signs very seriously.

“We need to seize the moment to achieve the transition, reduce global emissions, and curb temperature rises,” he says.

Johan Castberg

The Johan Castberg field is located in the Barents Sea.
The field consists of the three oil and gas discoveries Skrugard, Havis, and Drivis, discovered between 2011 and 2013.
Johan Castberg is being developed with an anchored production ship, a so-called FPSO, and an extensive subsea development with a total of 30 wells. The ship is 313 metres long and 55 metres wide.
Expected recoverable resources are estimated at 450-650 million barrels of oil equivalents.
Johan Castberg is designed to produce nearly 220,000 barrels per day.
The field is planned to start production in the fourth quarter of 2024 and will produce for 30 years.
The development of the Johan Castberg field will provide long-term activity with significant ripple effects for Hammerfest and Northern Norway.
The Johan Castberg partnership: Equinor (operator) 50%, Vår Energi ASA 30%, and Petoro AS 20%.

Johan Castberg anchored on the field in the Barents Sea

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