Both the fields are located in the Norwegian Sea and are planned to be developed via subsea tiebacks by Equinor and its partners
Illustration of the Verdande field development. (Credit: Equinor ASA)
Subsea7 in consortium with ocean services provider DeepOcean has won two contracts from Equinor for the Irpa and Verdande field development projects in the Norwegian Sea.
According to Subsea7, its share in the contracts is valued in the range of $50m and $150m. Its partner DeepOcean’s share is over $60m.
Located in the Aasta Hansteen area, the Irpa gas project, calls for a subsea tieback of nearly 80km to the Aasta Hansteen floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.
Subsea7 and DeepOcean will be responsible for the engineering, transportation, and installation of a monoethylene glycol (MEG) pipeline, a production riser, subsea structures, umbilical, and tie-ins.
Equinor submitted a plan for development and operation (PDO) for the Irpa gas project to the Norwegian government in November 2022. The project is expected to involve an investment of NOK14.8bn ($1.46bn).
The Verdande project is located in the Nordland Ridge area. With an investment of NOK4.7bn ($460m), the oil and gas field will be developed via a subsea tieback to the existing Skuld field and Norne FPSO facilities.
Subsea7 and DeepOcean will handle the engineering, transportation, and installation of a 7.5km long pipe-in-pipe production pipeline, flexibles, umbilical, subsea structures, and tie-ins for the Norwegian oil and gas field.
Subsea7 Norway senior vice president Monica Bjørkmann said: “We are delighted to have been awarded these two contracts by Equinor. The awards continue our long-standing collaborative relationship with Equinor with a focus on safe, efficient and reliable operations.”
Subsea7 said that the project management and engineering for the projects will immediately begin at its offices in Stavanger, Norway. Fabrication of the pipelines will be carried out at the company’s spoolbase at Vigra, Norway.
Offshore operations are expected to be executed in 2024, 2025, and 2026 by making use of the fleet of vessels of both Subsea7 and DeepOcean.
DeepOcean Europe managing director Olaf Hansen said: “We have learnt to know Equinor through many years of close collaboration with their organisation and multiple operations on the Norwegian continental shelf.
“They are a demanding but fair operator that constantly challenges us suppliers to further improve safety and reduce emissions and operating costs. We consider winning this contract as a confirmation that we are doing the right things.”