VIDEO: Wintershall Dea unlocks next phase of Nova project with subsea templates installation

Oil and gas company Wintershall Dea has installed two subsea templates on the ocean floor in Norway, marking a major milestone for its operated Nova project, and the first operational landmark for the newly merged global company.

Wintershall Dea said in a statement on Monday that the installation unlocks the next phase of the field development, with 65km of pipelines now ready to be laid in preparation for tie-back to the nearby Gjøa platform in the North Sea.

Hugo Dijkgraaf, Wintershall Dea Chief Technology Officer, said: “As the first major subsea delivery for the Nova project, and for Wintershall Dea as a merged business, the installation of these two templates marks an important milestone for our global operations and a signal of our ambition to invest capital and expertise in our core regions around the world.”

The Nova oil field is being developed with two subsea templates tied back to the Neptune-operated Gjøa platform. Gjøa will receive the well stream, and provide water injection and gas lift to the Nova field. A new module will be lifted onto Gjøa in 2020.

Subsea 7’s Seven Arctic vessel sailed the two 300 tonne templates 45 kilometers from the base in Florø to the Nova field, before craning the structures 370 meters below the ocean surface. The templates were constructed by Aker Solutions in Egersund on the west coast of Norway.

The next step in delivering Nova project

André Hesse, Wintershall Dea Nova Project Director, said: “With the installation of these two templates we have successfully begun the subsea campaign for 2019.

“In close co-operation with our key suppliers, we have employed a ‘One-Team’ approach to building Nova, focusing on the shared goal of delivering the field efficiently and safely. Using experienced Norwegian suppliers, we now take the next step in delivering the Nova field for the benefit of our partners, shareholders, supply chain and the whole of Norwegian society.”

Nova is located in the Norwegian North Sea, 120km 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.

“The Nova field is a cornerstone of Wintershall Dea’s growth ambitions in Norway, adding significant barrels to our operated production when it comes on stream in 2021, and underlining our position as one of the leading subsea operators on the Norwegian Continental Shelf,” said Alv Solheim, Managing Director in Norway.

Wintershall Dea holds a 45% share. Other project partners are Capricorn Norge (fully owned subsidiary of Cairn Energy) (20%), Spirit Energy Norge (20%), and Edison Norge (15%).

Wintershall and DEA merged on May 1 to form Wintershall Dea.

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