Wintershall advances Maria Phase 2 development with template installation
Wintershall Dea Norge AS has advanced work on the second phase of Maria field development with installation of an additional subsea template on the seabed at Haltenbanken on the west coast of Norway.
By extending Maria field, installation of a new template supports Wintershall’s strategy of using nearby infrastructure to produce new volumes in Norway. Maria is one of four offshore fields currently operated by Wintershall Dea in the country, with more under development, the company said in a release Sept. 1.
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 field development.
Maria, which was originally developed with two templates, came on stream in 2017 (OGJ Online, Dec. 18, 2017). This next phase of the project is expected to add around 27 MMboe to the total field reserves. Maria Phase 2 is planned for start-up in 2025, extending life of the field to 2040.
“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-tonne template from Vestbase in Kristiansund in mid-Norway about 200 km to Maria field in the Norwegian Sea, where it was installed 300 m below the sea surface. TechnipFMC was awarded the integrated Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation (iEPCI) contract for Maria Phase 2 in April 2022 (OGJ Online, Apr. 20, 2022).
The Maria well stream goes to the Kristin platform. Water injection comes from Heidrun, while lift gas is provided from Åsgard B via Tyrihans subsea field. Processed oil is sent to Åsgard field for storage and export. Gas is exported via the Åsgard Transport System to Kårstø.
Wintershall is operator of Maria field with a 50% interest. Petoro AS has 30% and Sval Energi AS owns 20%.
Mikaila Adams | Managing Editor - News
Mikaila Adams has 20 years of experience as an editor, most of which has been centered on the oil and gas industry. She enjoyed 12 years focused on the business/finance side of the industry as an editor for Oil & Gas Journal's sister publication, Oil & Gas Financial Journal (OGFJ). After OGFJ ceased publication in 2017, she joined Oil & Gas Journal and was named Managing Editor - News in 2019. She holds a degree from Texas Tech University.