The Maria Phase 2 Project is the expansion phase of the producing Maria Field, a subsea oil and gas field, located in the Norwegian Sea. Maria Phase 2 is located in the Production Licence (PL) 475 BS.
Harbour Energy, a UK-based oil and gas company, is the operator of the project with 50% interest, with Petoro (30%), a wholly owned company of the Government of Norway, and Sval Energi (20%), a Norway-based oil and gas exploration and production company, as the partners.
In November 2022, the partners submitted the amended Plan for Development and Operation (PUD) for the second phase of Maria. The amended PUD was approved by the Norwegian authorities in June 2023
The field will be developed with a total investment of NOK4bn ($360m). The execution phase of the expansion project commenced in 2023.
In September 2023, the subsea template was installed at the project site by the North Sea Atlantic, a heavy subsea construction vessel. Drilling for Phase 2 commenced in 2024.
The second phase is planned to commence operations in 2025. The Maria Field has an expected life till 2040.
Once on stream, the second phase will increase the recovery of gas from the middle part of the Garn Formation, which is undrained by the Maria Field wells.
Maria Phase 2 Project Location
The Maria Phase 2 Project is being developed around 200km on the Haltenbanken area off the coast of Norway on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Maria lies 25km east of the Kristen Field.
The subsea template of Phase 2 was installed in mid-Norway around 200km to the Maria Field in the Norwegian Sea.
The template lies at a water depth of 300m below the sea surface.
Project Ownership
Initially, the partners in the Maria Phase 2 were a European oil and gas company Wintershall Dea (50%, Operator), Petoro (30%), and Sval Energi (20%).
In September 2024, Harbour Energy acquired the upstream assets of Wintershall Dea.
Currently, the ownership status of the project is as follows: Harbour Energy (50%, Operator), Petoro (30%), and Sval Energi (20%).
Maria Phase 2 Project Details
The Maria Phase 2 Project will involve the installation of a new six-slot template and four new wells.
These will be installed in the southern part of the Maria Field. The new six-slot subsea template is a 330-tonne template constructed at Vestabase in Kristiansund.
The template consists of three production wells and a water injector for pressure support. Two additional slots will be available for the future development of the project. The subsea template will be connected to the existing infrastructure on the Maria Field.
A six-slot Production and Water Injection Manifold will be installed at the project site. The manifold weighs 145 tonnes and is 17*10*4m in dimensions.
Oil and gas production from Maria will be sent to the Kristin Platform. Surface-reduced water will be injected from the Heidrun Platform and the lifting gas will be supplied via the Tyrihans D template of the Underwater Field Tyrihans from the Åsgard B facility.
The processed oil will be transported to the Åsgard Field for storage and support.
The produced gas will be exported to the Kårstø Processing Plant in Nord Rogaland via the Åsgard transport system.
Contractors Involved
In April 2022, Wintershall Dea awarded the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation contract to Technip FMC, a UK-domiciled oil and gas company, for the second phase of the Maria Field.
The scope of the contract includes the delivery of subsea trees, spools, jumpers, and flexible pipes.
Technip optimised the layout of the field and helped to reduce the carbon footprint by modifying the existing infrastructure of the Maria Field.
Agility Subsea, a subsea fabrication and engineering company, delivered the manifold for the project.
