Equinor Chooses Nexans Umbilical Technology for its Askeladd Development in the Barents Sea
Paris La Défense – The Snøhvit gas field in the Barents Sea is the largest ever industrial project in North Norway. It is now entering part two of its multi-phase development plan with Equinor and its partners investing over half a billion euros in the Askeladd development which will provide feedstock for the onshore LNG (liquified natural gas) plant at Melkøya in Hammerfest. To support the development, Equinor has awarded a major contract to Nexans to design, manufacture and supply a total of 42 kilometers of static infield and interfield umbilicals to control the subsea production systems.
The Askeladd development, at a water depth of about 250 meters, will supply 21 billion cubic metres of gas and two million cubic metres of condensate to the Hammerfest LNG plant, with production scheduled to come on stream towards the end of 2020. It will tie-in to the existing Snøhvit field infrastructure which features Nexans’ umbilicals installed in previous projects – including a 145 kilometer umbilical that is still the longest umbilical in the world.
For the Askeladd development, Nexans will provide static subsea umbilicals with a complex cross-section comprising 3 kilovolt (kV) power, fiber-optic communications and hydraulic elements for chemical injection, together with a range of connection and termination accessories.
The electrical and fiber optic elements will be manufactured at the Nexans Norway facility in Rognan, North Norway with its 250 skilled and experienced employees. The contract would also involve over 50 local subcontractors and vendors. The complete umbilical system will be developed, manufactured and tested at Nexans Norway facility in Halden, Norway.
Vincent Dessale, Nexans Senior Executive Vice President Subsea and Land Systems Business Group, said: “Equinor’s Snøhvit development is a perfect example of how advanced technology can enable the effective operation of subsea gas fields with no need for surface installations. We are therefore delighted to further extend our involvement in this ground-breaking project by winning this major contract to provide the complex umbilicals required for the new Askeladd development”.
The delivery of the Nexans umbilicals for the Askeladd development is scheduled for the first quarter of 2020.
About Nexans
As a global leader in advanced cabling and connectivity solutions, Nexans brings energy to life through an extensive range of best-in-class products and innovative services. For over 120 years, innovation has been the company’s hallmark, enabling Nexans to drive a safer, smarter and more efficient future together with its customers.
Today, the Nexans Group is committed to facilitating energy transition and supporting the exponential growth of data by empowering its customers in four main business areas: Building & Territories (including utilities, smart grids, emobility), High Voltage & Projects (covering offshore wind farms, submarine interconnections, land high voltage), Telecom & Data (covering data transmission, telecom networks, hyperscale data centers, LAN), and Industry & Solutions (including renewables, transportation, Oil & Gas, automation, and others).
Corporate Social Responsibility is a guiding principle of Nexans’ business activities and internal practices. In 2013 Nexans became the first cable provider to create a Foundation supporting sustainable initiatives bringing access to energy to disadvantaged communities worldwide. The Group’s commitment to developing ethical, sustainable and high-quality cables drives its active involvement within several leading industry associations, including Europacable, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), International Cablemakers Federation (ICF) or CIGRE to mention a few.
Nexans employs more than 26,000 people with industrial footprint in 34 countries and commercial activities worldwide. In 2017, the Group generated 6.4 billion euros in sales. Nexans is listed on Euronext Paris, compartment A.
