Aibel lands Dvalin work

Aibel has been awarded the modification assignment to ready the Heidrun platform to receive the production from the Dvalin field, formerly Zidane, offshore Norway. 

DEA, the operator of the Dvalin field, submitted the Plan for Development and Operation (PDO) for the Dvalin field to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in Norway on Monday.

Dvalin will be developed with a four wells subsea template, which is connected to the Heidrun platform. At Heidrun, the gas will be partly processed in a new module, before the gas is transported in a new export pipeline to Polarled, going to the Nyhamna onshore gas terminal. At Nyhamna, the gas will be processed and transported to the European market.

On Tuesday, DEA awarded a contract to Aker Solutions to deliver the subsea production system, maintenance and services for the field and Aibel the contract for modules and offshore integration at the Heidrun platform.

“These contracts are a major step in our effort on getting the Dvalin field developed, and we are very satisfied with having Aker Solutions and Aibel on board,” says Hans-Hermann Andreae, Managing Director of DEA Norge.

The 300 tons subsea template for Dvalin and the umbilical connected to the Heidrun platform in the Norwegian Sea will be built by Aker Solutions. Aibel will build two new modules to be installed on the Heidrun platform.

These will be 4,000 tons (M40) and 400 tons (H25) respectively. H25 is to be installed in 2018, while M40 is to be installed in 2019. In addition to building the modules, Aibel will clear the area on Heidrun and manage integration on the platform.

“The Dvalin license will award contracts with a value of 530 million Euros over the next couple of weeks. These contracts will create hundreds of jobs in a demanding time for the supplier industry,” says Andreae.

Work will start instantly. The project will be managed from Aibel’s Oslo office, where planning and engineering work starts immediately. The actual construction work will be carried out at the company’s yard in Haugesund. At its peak, the project will require the manpower of around 700 people. This includes engineering, construction, and offshore work.

“The Dvalin job is along the same lines and will prove our strength in terms of combining the company’s expertise in field development and modifications. With our experience in this type of work, and the good feedback following the Troll job, we’re looking forward to the Dvalin contract,” says Nils Arne Hatleskog, Aibel’s EVP for Field Development.