Nova subsea pipelines installed in Norway
- Pipelines and umbilicals in place in the North Sea
- Safe and timely installation completes summer of intensive offshore work
Wintershall Dea has completed the installation of the subsea pipelines and umbilicals for the operated Nova project in the Norwegian North Sea. The successful installation of the flowlines completes a summer of significant subsea activity for Nova which began in May with two templates being installed on the seabed at 370 metres water depth.
The subsea installation consists of several work stages. Subsea 7 spearheaded the subsea work and installed the templates on the Nova field before laying 65 kilometres of pipelines using the Seven Oceans vessel, and 20 kilometres of control umbilicals using the Skandi Acergy vessel.
“The safe installation of the pipelines and umbilicals in the field marks another major step towards the completion of the Nova project. Together with the recent accomplishments on the Dvalin project, Wintershall Dea had very successful installation activities over the last summer”, explained Hugo Dijkgraaf, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Member of the Executive Board of Wintershall Dea.
The pipelines, fabricated by Subsea 7, and umbilicals and tie-in systems, fabricated by Aker Solutions, will tie the Nova field back to the nearby Gjøa platform, which will process and export the hydrocarbons, and provide injection water and lift gas for pressure support.
“In close co-operation with our suppliers, we are delivering as ‘One Team’. With the installation of a dedicated Nova module on the Gjøa platform and the drilling of the wells to start next year, we are delivering according to our plans and on highest safety standards. We look forward to seeing the field in production in 2021,” said André Hesse, Senior Vice President, Major Project Nova.
When it comes on stream, Nova will be Wintershall Dea’s fourth operated subsea field in production, underpinning the company’s position as an experienced underwater field developer in Norway.
“We continue to use our expertise in subsea field construction and operation in Norway to make the best use of existing infrastructure on the shelf. By delivering hydrocarbons through subsea technology, we are meeting the energy needs of business and consumers in the most sustainable way,” said Alv Bjørn Solheim, Managing Director of the Business Unit Norway.
About Nova
Nova is located in the Norwegian North Sea, 120 kilometres northwest of Bergen. The expected recoverable reserves from the field are around 80 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe), of which the majority will be oil. The partnership is investing almost 1.1 billion euros (NOK 9.9 billion Norwegian kroner) in the development of the Nova field, which is expected to come on stream in 2021.
Partnership: Wintershall Dea (operator 45%), Capricorn Norge AS (fully owned subsidiary of Cairn Energy PLC) (20%), Spirit Energy Norge AS (20%) and Edison Norge AS (15%).
Location: about 120 kilometres northwest of Bergen and approximately 17 kilometres southwest of the Gjøa platform in the Norwegian North Sea.
Water depth: 370 metres
Estimated reserves: 80 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe)
Development solution: Nova is being developed as a subsea tieback connecting two templates to the existing Gjøa platform which is operated by Neptune Energy. Gjøa will process the production fluids and provide water injection and gas lift to the Nova field. A dedicated Nova module will be lifted onto Gjøa in 2020. Oil from Nova will be transported from Gjøa through the Troll Oil Pipeline II to Mongstad, associated gas will be exported via the Far North Liquids and Associated Gas System (FLAGS) pipeline to St Fergus in the UK, supplying the European energy market. The use of existing infrastructure enables a cost-efficient extraction of the resources in the reservoir at 2,570 metres below sea level and extends the economic lifetime of the existing infrastructure.
About Wintershall Dea
With the merger of Wintershall Holding GmbH and DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG, two successful companies with a long tradition have formed Europe’s leading independent natural gas and oil company: Wintershall Dea. The company with German roots and headquarters in Kassel and Hamburg explores for and produces gas and oil in 13 countries worldwide in an efficient and responsible manner. With activities in Europe, Russia, Latin America and the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa), Wintershall Dea has a global upstream portfolio and, with its participation in natural gas transport, is also active in the midstream business.
Wintershall Dea stands for more than 120 years of experience as an operator and project partner along the entire E&P value chain. The company employs around 4,000 people worldwide from over 60 nations. The company plans to increase its average daily production from around 590,000 barrels of oil equivalent to a range of 750,000 to 800,000 barrels in the period between 2021 and 2023. In the medium term, an initial public offering of Wintershall Dea is envisaged.
