Wintershall Dea GMBH started drilling four production wells in Dvalin natural gas field in the Norwegian Sea. The wells—each targeting a depth of 4,500 m—are being drilled using the Transocean Arctic harsh-environment semisubmersible drilling rig. Work is expected to last for a year.
The start of gas production is slated for 2020, said field operator Wintershall Dea.
Since April, there has been several work projects performed in the field, which lies 259 km north of Kristiansund in mid-Norway. These projects include the installation of pipelines and the manifold in 400 m of water and the lifting in August of a 3,500-tonne processing module onto nearby Heidrun platform, operated by Equinor, in preparation for receiving gas from Dvalin (OGJ Online, Aug. 8, 2019).
Dvalin is being developed as a subsea field tied back to Heidrun, which lies 15 km northwest.
“Dvalin fits neatly into our strategy of supplying gas to the European market through fields and pipelines while ensuring we remain one of the most important gas producers on the Norwegian Continental Shelf,” said Alv Solheim, managing director of Wintershall Dea in Norway.
Reserves in the field are estimated at 113.3 million boe.
