OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian oil firm Aker BP (>> Aker BP ASA) reported inaugural earnings ahead of analysts' expectations for the third quarter on Monday and said it would initially pay a dividend of at least $250 million (205 million pounds) per year.

Operating profit before depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) stood at $179 million in the July-September period, slightly beating an average $173 million forecast in a Reuters poll of eight analysts.

Formed in September through the combination of BP's (>> BP plc) Norwegian unit and Det norske oljeselskap, a firm controlled by investment firm Aker ASA (>> Aker ASA), the new entity is owned 30 percent by BP and 40 percent by Aker.

"The integration process continues to be on track," Aker BP said in a statement.

"The company aims to sustain a minimum dividend level of $250 million per year going forward, payable quarterly and to increase this level once Johan Sverdrup is in production," it added.

The company holds an 11.6 percent stake in the Johan Sverdrup oil field, the North Sea's largest discovery in decades, which is expected to come on stream in late 2019.

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Ole Petter Skonnord)

Stocks treated in this article : Aker ASA, Aker BP ASA, BP plc