Fossil energy – drilling
Wintershall Dea has started the last part of the Nova drilling campaign following a year-long incident-induced break.
The drilling was done in the North Sea from the Scarabeo 8 semi-submersible rig.
Wintershall Dea said that the rig would drill three production wells and three water injection wells through two subsea templates.
According to the company, the Nova field is expected to start production in the second half of 2022. Once online, it will be the fourth subsea field in production for the company.
“With the subsea scope having been finalized already and a clear focus on the completion of the topside modifications, the production drilling is the last major milestone before production start for the Nova field. Looking ahead, it’s exciting to see the field taking shape, and we look forward to first oil,” André Hesse, Wintershall Dea’s Nova Project Director, said.
The issues with Nova drilling happened after a winch wire snapped while an X-mas tree was being lowered from the West Mira rig. The X-mas tree sunk to the seafloor, stopping drilling operations. Nova is located in the Norwegian part of the North Sea, some 75 miles northwest of Bergen and around 10 miles southwest of Gjøa.
