Wintershall Dea on Wednesday announced it has started production from the Dvalin gas field in the Norwegian Sea together with the partners Petoro and Sval Energi, providing significant new gas volumes to the European market.
The field helps underpin Norway’s position as Europe’s largest gas supplier: On plateau, Dvalin is planned to produce enough energy to heat more than 2 million homes. The additional volumes come as Europe continues to search for predictable long-term supplies of natural gas. “We are aware that in the winter months European demand for gas will rise, and the continent will be looking to Norway to be the supplier of choice. We have worked hard to ensure Dvalin will be onstream safely, and are satisfied that the field will make a significant contribution to European energy security,” said Dawn Summers, Wintershall Dea Chief Operating Officer.
The field has been shut-in since late 2020 after measurements of high levels of mercury in the well stream. Since then, mercury removal units have been installed at the onshore processing facilities at Nyhamna and Tjeldbergodden in mid-Norway.
“The team has worked hard to overcome technical challenges in the field, providing robust solutions that will allow Dvalin to deliver substantial gas volumes to our European partners long into the future,” said Michael Zechner Wintershall Dea Norge Managing Director.
The Dvalin field has an estimated lifetime until 2038 including the Dvalin North field, which is currently being developed.
As a subsea gas field which is controlled from the nearby Heidrun platform, Dvalin helps maintain Wintershall Dea’s gas weighted portfolio, while supporting the broader strategy of producing hydrocarbons using existing infrastructure.
Located some 15 kilometers northwest of Heidrun, Dvalin has been developed using a single subsea template with four production wells. The field now joins Maria, Nova and Vega as Wintershall Dea’s fourth operated subsea field in Norway.
Additionally, it is the tie in point for the Wintershall Dea operated Dvalin North subsea gas development, which was approved by the Norwegian government in 2023.
Located in the Haltenbanken area of the Norwegian Sea some 260 kilometers north of Kristiansund, and with expected recoverable gross reserves estimated at 113 million barrels of oil equivalent of which the majority will be gas, the Dvalin field lies at the heart of one of Wintershall Dea’s key growth regions. The company is partner and operator of several nearby exploration licenses, as well as discoveries which are already under development, including Dvalin North which was part of Norway’s largest discovery in 2021.
Wintershall Dea is operator of the Dvalin field and has a 55% share. Petoro has 35% and Sval Energi has 10%.