Oil and gas company Wintershall Dea and its partners Petoro and Sval Energi have installed an additional subsea template on the seabed at Haltenbanken on the west coast of Norway, as part of the second phase of the Wintershall Dea-operated Maria field development.
By extending the existing Maria field, the installation of a new subsea template supports the broader Wintershall Dea strategy of using nearby area infrastructure to produce new volumes in Norway, the German company said.
Maria is one of four offshore fields currently operated by Wintershall Dea in the country, with more under development.
“We believe that utilizing existing infrastructure to produce hydrocarbons is one of the most effective ways to deliver the energy the world needs while contributing to reaching the climate goals. We will continue to invest to deliver efficient subsea engineering in Norway,” said Michael Zechner, Managing Director of Wintershall Dea Norge.
The new six-slot template will accommodate three producing wells and one water injector for pressure support. The two spare slots will be available for future development of the field.
“The safe installation of the template is a crucial step forward for the project. Maria Phase 2 will help to prolong the lifetime of the field and surrounding infrastructure. It will increase reserves and thus secure reliable energy to Europe,” said Vedad Hadziavdic, Maria Phase 2 Project Manager at Wintershall Dea.
TechnipFMC’s heavy subsea construction vessel, North Sea Atlantic, transported the 330-ton template from Vestbase in Kristiansund in mid-Norway some 200 kilometres to the Maria field in the Norwegian Sea, where it was installed 300 meters below the sea surface. TechnipFMC was awarded the integrated Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation (iEPCI) contract for Maria Phase 2 in April last year.
“In close collaboration with the Wintershall Dea project team, TechnipFMC, with their subcontractors, designed, built, and installed the template on time, with solid HSE performance and excellent quality. A big thank you to all involved!” said Bård Owe Bakken, Maria Phase 2 Facilities Manager at Wintershall Dea.
Wintershall Dea involves installation of a new six-slot template and four new wells, in the southern part of the Maria field, located about 200 kilometres off the coast of Norway. Maria, which is a subsea field originally developed with two templates, came on stream in 2017.
This next phase of the Maria project is expected to add around 27 million barrels of oil equivalent to the total field reserves. Expected lifetime of the Maria field is 2040.
The new template will be connected to the existing infrastructure on the Maria field. The Maria well stream goes to the Kristin platform. Water injection comes from Heidrun, while lift gas is provided from Åsgard B via the Tyrihans subsea field. Processed oil is sent to the Åsgard field for storage and export. Gas is exported via the Åsgard Transport System to Kårstø.
Maria Phase 2 is planned for start-up in 2025.
Wintershall Dea Norge AS is operator of the Maria field with a 50% share. Petoro AS has 30% and Sval Energi AS owns 20%.