The plan for development and operation for the Wintershall Norge-operated Nova Field has been approved by Norwegian authorities, Wintershall said in a news release.

The field, located in the North Sea, will be developed as a subsea tieback connecting two templates to the Gjøa platform for processing and export, the company said. Lift gas, water injection and power also will be provided by the Gjøa platform.

“This is another important landmark for Wintershall Norge,” said Hugo Dijkgraaf, managing director for Wintershall Norge. “We believe in Norway, and we are showing again through the Nova development that we are prepared to back up our commitment with investment.”

Wintershall said several significant contracts for the development, estimated to cost about $1.2 billion, have been awarded. Among these were contracts awarded to Aker Solutions for the subsea production system, Subsea 7 for pipeline and subsea construction and Seadrill for a rig.

Recoverable reserves for Nova are estimated at about 80 MMboe, mostly oil, according to Wintershall. Startup is scheduled for 2021.

Wintershall is the operator and holds 35%. Partners are Cairn Energy subsidiary Capricorn Norge (20%), Spirit Energy (20%), Edison Norge (15%) and DEA Norge (10%).

Offshore