Subsea pump starts service at North Sea Vigdis field

Offshore staff

STAVANGER, Norway – Equinor is operating a new seabed pump at the Vigdis oil field in the Norwegian North Sea.

The company ordered the system in late 2018, with the aim of raising production by around 16 MMbbl.

Vigdis came onstream in 1997 as a subsea tieback to the Snorre complex. The originally targeted production was 200 MMbbl, but new estimates suggests 475 MMbbl could ultimately be recovered.

(Video courtesy Equinor)

The NOK1.4-billion ($158-million) Vigdis Boosting project, which started up in May, comprises a multiphase boosting station increasing production from existing wells.

The boosting station is connected to the Vigdis-Snorre A pipeline. It is also designed to lower wellhead pressure, assisting higher oil recovery from the wells.

OneSubsea supplied the boosting system, including the subsea template and trawl protection, with engineering performed in Bergen and assembly nearby at Horsøy.

Sub-suppliers in western Norway included Framo Flatøy, which fabricated the pump, RadøyGruppen, which constructed the template, and Luster Mekaniske Industri, which provided the pipes.

In addition, Equinor commissioned Wood to perform modifications to Snorre A and to Snorre B, which supplies the boosting station with power from a new umbilical engineered by Nexans.

DeepOcean managed marine operations.

08/06/2021