Yggdrasil, formerly known as North of Alvheim Krafla Askja (NOAKA), is a major offshore oil development project in the North Sea, Norway.
The project development involves the Hugin, Munin and Fulla licences by operator Aker BP and partners Equinor and ORLEN (formerly PGNiG Upstream Norway).
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Aker BP holds a 76.72% stake while Orlen Upstream Norway has 12.38%. Furthermore, Equinor owns 9.9% in the Hugin (formerly known as North of Alvheim (NOA)) licence.
For the Fulla licence, Equinor is the largest partner with 47.7%, followed by Aker BP at 40% and Orlen Upstream Norway at 12.3%. Ownership of Munin (formerly Krafla) is split evenly between Aker BP and Equinor, with each company holding 50%.
The final investment decision for the Nkr115bn ($11.6bn) multi-field Yggdrasil development was made in December 2022.
The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE) approved the plan for development and operation (PDO) of the project in June 2023.
The first steel cut for the Hugin A platform was held in September 2023, followed by Munin two months later in November. Start of production is anticipated in 2027.
Yggdrasil project location details
The Yggdrasil project is located in the Central North Sea on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), approximately 160km west of Kollsnes, near Bergen. Water depths in the area range from 110m (361ft) to 120m.
The Yggdrasil area’s Hugin, Munin and Fulla are located between the Alvheim and Oseberg fields in the North Sea.
Munin is located 35km south of Oseberg while the Fulla licence is located between the Heimdal and Oseberg fields.
Discovery and reservoir details of Yggdrasil
Major discoveries within the Yggdrasil area include Munin, Fulla, Lille Frøy, Frøy, and Øst Frigg Beta/Epsilon. The reservoirs are in the Lower Jurassic sandstone formations of the Brent Group.
Munin was discovered by drilling the 30/11-8 S discovery well in 2011 while Fulla was discovered with the drilling of the 30/11-7 wildcat well in 2009.
The Lille Frøy and Frøy discoveries within the Hugin Formation were confirmed in 1976 and 1987, respectively. The Frøy field was brought into production in 1995 and was shut down in 2001. It will be redeveloped as part of the Yggdrasil project.
The Yggdrasil area is estimated to contain a total of 700 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent reserves.
In August 2025, Aker BP completed its Omega Alfa exploration campaign in the Yggdrasil area. The programme included wellbores 25/1-14 and 25/1-14 A to G, with four of the wellbores resulting in discoveries.
Deepsea Stavanger rig carried out the drilling close to the previously producing Frigg and Øst Frigg fields, targeting remaining petroleum accumulations across five prospects in the Frigg Formation.
The licence partners are expected to evaluate the finds within the wider Yggdrasil development process.
Yggdrasil oil and gas field development details
The Yggdrasil oil and gas development will include ten templates, pipelines and umbilicals, as well as 57 wells tied back to three offshore platforms, namely Munin, Hugin A, and Hugin B.
The subsea production system will comprise 40 vertical subsea trees and nine six-slot manifolds along with manifolds, wellheads, and associated tie-in systems. It will also include eight static umbilicals with a total length of 90km.
The Munin uncrewed production platform will be installed at a water depth of 105m in the northern part of the project area. It will be connected to 23 wells. The jacket for the platform will weigh 5,800 tonnes (t) and measure 130m tall.
Located in the northern section of the area, Munin is an uncrewed gas production platform and the first installation of its type on the Norwegian shelf. Its topsides weigh more than 8,000t and measure 62m × 42m, with a height of 35m.
The Hugin A production, drilling and quarters (PDQ) platform will be installed in the southern part of the project area. The platform weighs 28t with a 20,500t steel jacket. It will receive the oil production from the Munin and Hugin B platforms. The Fulla and Lille Frøy discoveries will also be developed as subsea tiebacks to Hugin A.
Hugin A is being powered by Bergen Engines’ B33:45V12A generator set for the platform’s essential processing, water treatment and utilities operations. With advanced equipment health monitoring in place, the unit supports predictive maintenance, helping to reduce operational risk and maintain reliable output in a remote, low-manned setting.
The Frøy field will be developed with the Hugin B normally uncrewed wellhead platform, which will be tied back to the Hugin A platform.
Gas will be transported via a shared pipeline from Hugin A, routed through Munin, before entering Statpipe and continuing to Kårstø. Meanwhile, oil will be shipped through a shared line from Hugin A into the Grane oil pipeline and on to Stureterminalen.
Power supply details for the Yggdrasil project
The Yggdrasil project will be remotely operated from an onshore integrated operations centre and control room in Stavanger.
Aker BP received the approval to connect Yggdrasil to Norway’s national grid in Samnanger in April 2023.
The project will receive power from the shore through 250km of 145kV sea cable.
A new transformer station will be built at Børdalen in Samnanger. The project also includes the construction of a compensation station at Årskog in Fitjar and 11km of powerline and cable in Samnanger.
Contractors involved
Aker Solutions was contracted to provide the engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) and offshore hook-up services for the Hugin A and Hugin B platforms in December 2022. It is also responsible for providing the subsea production system for the project.
Aker Solutions also delivered the topsides for the Hugin A production and living quarters platform in collaboration with Aker BP, ABB and Siemens Energy as part of the Fixed Facilities Alliance.
Subsea 7 will provide the subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines (SURF) for the project.
Global Energy Group (GEG) was subcontracted by Subsea 7 in August 2024 for the fabrication of 134 subsea spools. LIBERTY Pipes Hartlepool was also subcontracted by Subsea 7 to produce longitudinally submerged arc-welded (LSAW) pipes.
Siemens Energy is providing the electrical, instrumentation, control and telecommunication systems for the Hugin A and Hugin B platforms.
Heerema Vlissingen was contracted to construct the Munin jacket in May 2023. Aibel will provide topsides for the Munin platform.
Hitachi Energy is responsible for providing the complete energy system and key electrical equipment for the onshore grid connection of the project.
NKT was selected to design, manufacture and install 255km of 145kV sea cables for the project in December 2022. The NKT Victoria cable-laying vessel will be used to lay the sea cables.
Allseas is responsible for the transportation and installation of the Hugin A topsides via the Pioneering Spirit offshore construction vessel, under a contract awarded in December 2022. It is also responsible for the installation of gas and oil export pipelines connecting Hugin A platform to onshore processing terminals at Øygarden and Kartso in Norway.
Other contractors involved in the project are Marketex Offshore Constructions, Enersense, Linjepartner, ABL Group, ClampOn, Tratec Halvorsen, Framo, FireNor, and Leirvik.
