Drilling completed on Dvalin

Drilling has been completed on the Dvalin field in the Norwegian Sea, propelling the project into the final development phase before first gas.

Overcoming severe weather conditions at the beginning of the year and avoiding any impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wintershall Dea safely completed the four-well campaign, on budget in just over a year.

“Completion of the drilling on the Dvalin field demonstrates our continued commitment to developing our discoveries on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Despite unprecedented challenges, we are now in a position to move into the final phase of development on Dvalin and look forward to increasing our production profile in Norway,” said Thomas Kainer, Wintershall Dea Senior Vice President for the Dvalin Project.

Dvalin is a subsea tieback in the Haltenbanken area of the Norwegian Sea linking an underwater template to the nearby Heidrun platform. Completion of the four high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) wells is one of the last major milestones.

In total, Wintershall Dea drilled 18,203 metres on the Dvalin field, delivering the four new wells from the Transocean Arctic rig with excellent HSE results: Total recordable injury frequency (TRIF) = 0) and no serious incident (SIF = 0).

“The team from Wintershall Dea and our contractors, have delivered with excellent HSE, and high quality and efficiency. We have rarely seen weather as harsh for as long. And we have never experienced anything like the coronavirus. To deliver these wells to this high standard in these circumstances shows incredible One Team spirit,” said Tore Øian, Wintershall Dea, Dvalin Drilling Manager.

The Dvalin field is being developed as a subsea tie back to the Heidrun platform, using an underwater template on the ocean floor. Four wells are being drilled through the template.

Flowlines and umbilicals will connect the structure to Heidrun. On the Heidrun platform, a new 4,500-tonne module for processing and compression of gas has been installed.

The gas from Dvalin will be transported to Heidrun via a 14.9-kilometre pipeline. From there, it will be sent to the Polarled trunk line via a 7.5-kilometre pipeline before it will be further processed to dry gas spec at the Nyhamna onshore gas terminal.