Wintershall awards Nova work to Aker Solutions and Subsea 7

Oil company Wintershall Norge has awarded two major subsea contracts for its operated Nova field (formerly Skarfjell) in the Norwegian North Sea to Subsea 7 and Aker Solutions.

The Subsea Production System (SPS) contract has been awarded to Aker Solutions, while the Pipeline and Subsea Construction (PSC) contract has been awarded to Subsea 7 Norway, Wintershall informed on Tuesday.

The contracts have a combined value of approximately $230 million. A Plan for Development and Operation (PDO) for the Nova field will be submitted in the first half of 2018.

The two awards support the selected development solution for the field as a tieback to the nearby Gjøa platform. In 2017, Wintershall successfully took the subsea Maria field into production in the Norwegian Sea, and is operator of the Vega field, which is already tied back to Gjøa.

Based on the proposed plan, hydrocarbons from the Nova reservoir will be developed via two subsea templates tied back to the Gjøa platform for processing and export. Gjøa will also provide lift gas to the field and water injection for pressure support. One template will be used for water injection, while the other will be used to produce hydrocarbons.

The field is expected to come on stream in 2021.

“These contracts allow us to push towards the execution phase of the project, and build on our strategy of cost effectively developing fields that utilize local infrastructure,” said Andre Hesse, Wintershall Norge Head of the Nova Project.

Nova SPS

Aker Solutions will deliver a standardized SPS System for the Nova development. This includes engineering, procurement and construction (EPC). The Nova SPS consists of two template manifolds with their respective trees and well systems. It also includes the integrated service umbilical and the subsea control system.

Aker Solutions said that the work for Nova starts immediately and involves facilities in Norway, the UK and Malaysia. Final deliveries are scheduled for 2019 and 2020.

Nova PSC

Subsea 7 Norway will design, procure and install four pipelines linking Nova to Gjøa. These comprise two pipes in pipe production flowlines, riser base structures, a water injection pipeline and the pipeline that will supply lift gas to the field. Furthermore, the contractor will install the SPS structures supplied by Aker Solutions, including the subsea templates, subsea manifolds, control umbilicals and auxiliary equipment.

Subsea 7 said that fabrication of the pipeline will take place at its spoolbase at Vigra, Norway. Project Management and engineering will start immediately at Subsea 7’s offices in Stavanger, Norway. Offshore operations will take place in 2019 and 2020.

The value of the contract for Subsea 7 is between $50 million and $150 million.

Nova was discovered in 2012 and is situated in the Quadrant 35 area in the Norwegian North Sea. The majority of the discovery is located in production license PL 418, with a possible extension into PL 378.

In PL 418 Wintershall Norge (operator) owns 35 percent, Capricorn Norge (part of Cairn Energy) 20 percent, Spirit Energy 20 percent, Edison Norge 15 percent and DEA Norge 10 percent.

Offshore Energy Today Staff