Located about 120km northwest of Bergen, Norway, the Nova field is estimated to contain recoverable reserves of around 80 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
The field will be developed with an investment of around EUR 1.1 billion (NOK 9.9 billion). The PDO for the field was submitted in May 2018.
Wintershall Norge managing director Hugo Dijkgraaf said: “This is another important landmark for Wintershall Norge. We believe in Norway and we are showing again through the Nova development that we are prepared to back up our commitment with investment.
“Good dialogue with the Norwegian authorities is a crucial component of our success in this country. We regard this approval as recognition of our ability to deliver projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.”
The Nova field development involves two subsea templates located on the ocean floor tied back to the nearby Gjøa platform for processing and export. The Gjøa platform is operated by Neptune Energy.
The platform will also supply lift gas to the field and water injection for pressure support.
The Nova field will receive power from onshore through the Gjøa platform. After Vega and Maria in the Norwegian Sea, Nova will be the third subsea field operated by Wintershall.
While Wintershall owns 35% stake in the field, its partners include Capricorn Norge with 20%, Spirit Energy 20%, Edison Norge 15% and DEA Norge 10%.
Discovered in 2012, the field is situated in the northeastern North Sea nearly 20km southwest of the Neptune Energy-operated Gjøa platform. Located in Quadrant 35, the field is expected to benefit from the region’s rich infrastructure.
A significant number of contracts have already been awarded for the development of the field, including the subsea production system to Aker Solutions, the contract for pipeline and subsea construction to Subsea 7, and the rig contract to Seadrill.
The field is scheduled to commence production in September 2021.
