Aker Solutions cuts first steel for Wintershall’s Nova project

Norwegian oil services company Aker Solutions has started fabrication on Wintershall’s Nova project located in the North Sea.

Wintershall said via social media on Wednesday that the fabrication started in Aker Solution’s facility in Egersund, Norway by cutting first steel for subsea templates.

The German oil company filed a plan for development and operation (PDO) for the Nova field last week. The development is expected to cost around NOK 9.9 billion ($1.2 billion).

The plan PDO for the North Sea Nova field – formerly Skarfjell – was submitted to the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. It was the first PDO on the Norwegian Continental Shelf submitted in 2018.

Nova will be developed as a subsea tie-back connecting two templates to the nearby Gjøa platform for processing and export. Gjøa will also provide lift gas to the field and water injection for pressure support. Power for the Nova field comes via the Gjøa platform from shore.

Pending final approval by the Norwegian authorities, the license partnership now enters the execution phase of the development, constructing the field ahead of planned startup in 2021.

It is worth reminding that Wintershall awarded two major subsea contracts for the Nova field to Subsea 7 and Aker Solutions back in February.

Under the contract, Aker Solutions will deliver a standardized subsea production (SPS) system which includes engineering, procurement, and construction.

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.

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.

Subsea 7 will also install the SPS structures supplied by Aker Solutions, including the subsea templates, subsea manifolds, control umbilicals, and auxiliary equipment.

Nova field

Nova was discovered in 2012 and is situated in the northeastern North Sea approximately 20 kilometers southwest of the Neptune-operated Gjøa platform and about 120 kilometers northwest of Bergen. Wintershall is already operator of the nearby subsea Vega field, as well as a partner in Gjøa. Recoverable reserves on the field are estimated around 80 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe), of which the majority is oil.

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.