Equinor and its partners have awarded Aibel a contract to carry out front-end engineering and design (FEED) for the topsides of the production vessel at the Wisting oil discovery in the Barents Sea.
The Wisting partnership comprises Equinor, serving as the operator with 42.5%, Aker BP at 27.5%, Petoro holding 20% and INPEX Idemitsu Norge with a 10% share.
Aibel secured the contract through a competitive tender process involving Norwegian suppliers.
The company stated that around 250 personnel would be involved in the project.
The contract includes an option for engineering, procurement and project management at a later stage, while the actual fabrication contract for the topside modules will be awarded separately.
Equinor project development senior vice-president Trond Bokn said: “We are at an early stage in the development of Wisting, and considerable work remains to develop a project that is profitable and feasible.
“If we succeed, it will contribute to energy security for Europe and generate revenues for Norwegian society. Wisting will generate activity in the Norwegian supplier industry and in local communities in the north over a 30-year period.”
The Wisting partnership plans to choose the project concept and decide whether to progress towards development by the end of 2026.
A final investment decision is anticipated in late 2027.
Bokn added: “We are pleased to welcome Aibel to the Wisting team. This FEED contract will form part of the overall basis for a potential investment decision. We will work with the suppliers on improvements to enable the project to be realised.”
The Wisting discovery, known as 7324/8-1, is located approximately 300km north of the Norwegian coast, in 400m of water.
The field was discovered in 2013 and further defined by wells drilled in 2016 and 2017.
Reservoirs at the site contain oil within sandstone formations of Early Jurassic age (Nordmela and Stø) and Late Triassic age (Fruholmen).
The Nordmela and Stø formations are reported to have favourable reservoir properties.
In June, Equinor, along with its partners, submitted a proposed environmental impact assessment programme for the development of the Wisting oilfield.
