Wintershall Dea has begun first oil production at its operated Nova field in the Norwegian North Sea.
The expected recoverable gross reserves from the field are estimated at 90 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe), of which the majority will be oil.
The field has been developed as a tieback to the nearby Gjøa platform, operated by Neptune Energy, which provides gas lift and water injection as well as a hydrocarbon export route.
Nova can be found 74.6 miles northwest of Bergen, in the Norweigan sector of the North Sea.
It consists of two subsea templates, one with three oil producers and one with three water injectors.
Neptune said the development will support UK and European energy security at a crucial time.
Wintershall Dea added: “It comes on stream at a time where Europe needs every additional barrel it can get.”
The addition of new tie-backs also extends the platform’s economic lifetime – a boost for Wintershall Dea, which has a 28% share in Gjøa.
Neptune Energy’s director of operations in Norway Martin Borthne said: “As the operator of the Nova brownfield project involving all topside modifications, Neptune Energy thanks the Nova licence owners for selecting the Neptune Energy-operated Gjøa platform as their host and commends Wintershall Dea on the safe and successful start-up of the Nova field.
“It is the third subsea field to be tied back to the Gjøa platform, and will support UK and European energy security at a crucial time.
“Nova also adds valuable resources and prolongs the economic life of the installation and the other fields connected to Gjøa. Partly electrified with hydro power from shore, Gjøa is becoming the efficient, low-carbon hub it was designed to be.”
Nova Oil Feild ownership
The German company is partnered with Sval Energi, Pandion Energy Norge, and OKEA in the field.
Wintershall Dea is the operator of the Nova field with a 45% share.
Sval Energy owns and owns an equal share in Nova and Pandion Energy Norge owns 10%.
Norway’s OKEA acquired 6% of the Nova field’s stake from Wintershall Dea in May. The completion of this agreement is expected for the last quarter of this year, at which point, Wintershall Dea’s share will be lowered to 39%.
Wintershall Dea chief technology officer Hugo Dijkgraaf commented: “With the start-up of the major project Nova, Wintershall Dea is now operating three subsea production fields in Norway.
“We are expanding our subsea technology expertise and meanwhile three further tieback developments, including Dvalin, are in the planning.
“As a subsea operator, we are committed to making the most of the infrastructure that Norway has spent decades developing, as well as maintaining a low-carbon intensity portfolio while producing the energy that Europe needs.”
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