West Mira rig kicks off two-year drilling campaign for Wintershall Dea in Norway
The Wintershall Dea-contracted West Mira rig has spudded its debut well on the Bergknapp exploration prospect in the Norwegian Sea.
The prospect marks the beginning of a long drilling campaign for Wintershall Dea with the West Mira, operating at least 12 wells over the next two years.
The new-build has been upgraded to become one of the most environmentally friendly and technologically advanced drilling rigs operating in the North Sea, equipped with a hybrid battery solution to reduce emissions, and a suite of cutting-edge technology including automated drilling sequencing, wired drill pipe and a digital well twin.
“The technology is an underlying enabler for us to reach our efficiency goals for this campaign. More importantly, we have been planning extensively for many months, aligning our teams onshore and offshore, investing in training, and developing a One Team spirit that will be crucial for a safe and efficient campaign,” said Janne Lea, VP for Reservoir, Development and Engineering for Wintershall Dea in Norway.
The desire to lean into efficiency goals also underpins another key element of the West Mira campaign. Emissions reductions are also a core part of the operation.
Upgrading the rig with a cutting-edge hybrid battery solution will reduce diesel consumption removing some 15% of CO2 and 12% of NOx emissions.
“As a company, we see continuous improvement and technology development as a crucial contribution in addressing two major challenges at the same time: the world‘s growing demand for energy and global climate change. We are committed to securing energy supplies while pursuing climate targets,” said Alv Solheim, Managing Director for Wintershall Dea in Norway.
After drilling the Bergknapp prospect, the West Mira will continue on Wintershall Dea’s nearby Maria field, where it will drill two infill wells. It will then be moved south to the North Sea, where it will drill one well on the Vega field, and six development wells on the Nova project, before moving back to Vega to drill two more wells. Along with Dvalin in the Norwegian Sea, Nova is one of two Wintershall Dea subsea fields currently under development.
About Wintershall Dea
With the merger of Wintershall Holding GmbH and DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG, two successful companies with a long tradition have formed Europe’s leading independent natural gas and oil company: Wintershall Dea. The company with German roots and headquarters in Kassel and Hamburg explores for and produces gas and oil in 13 countries worldwide in an efficient and responsible manner. With activities in Europe, Russia, Latin America and the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa), Wintershall Dea has a global upstream portfolio and, with its participation in natural gas transport, is also active in the midstream business.
Wintershall Dea stands for more than 120 years of experience as an operator and project partner along the entire E&P value chain. The company employs around 4,000 people worldwide from over 60 nations. The company plans to increase its average daily production from around 590,000 barrels of oil equivalent in 2018 to around 750,000 boe/d by 2023.
