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

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.

“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. With our goal of safe and efficient project delivery and our experience as one of the leading operators of subsea technology in Norway, the successful installation of these two templates sets a marker for how we intend to execute our operations in every area of our global business,” said Hugo Dijkgraaf, Wintershall Dea Chief Technology Officer.

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 metres below the ocean surface. The templates were constructed by Aker Solutions in Egersund on the west coast of Norway.

“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,” said André Hesse, Wintershall Dea Nova Project Director.

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 AS (fully owned subsidiary of Cairn Energy PLC) (20%), Spirit Energy Norge AS (20%) and Edison Norge AS (15%).

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