Neptune Energy and its partners today announced drilling has begun on four production wells on the Fenja field in the Norwegian Sea.

The wells are being drilled by the Deepsea Yantai, a semi-submersible rig, operated by Odfjell Drilling.

Operated by Neptune Energy, the Fenja development consists of two subsea templates tied back to the Njord A platform via a production pipeline, water and gas injection pipelines and an umbilical. The wells are planned as two oil producers, one water injector and a gas injector. The gas injector will be converted to a gas producer towards the end of field life.

Neptune Energy’s Director of Projects & Engineering in Norway, Erik Oppedal, said: “This is the final phase of the Fenja development project which is located in a strategically-important growth area for the business, with a number of other interesting prospects nearby. Norway is an important part of Neptune’s geographically-diverse portfolio and this is an excellent example of the company’s commitment to investing in the region.”

The Deepsea Yantai is now set to drill into the reservoir sections, install the lower completions and execute well clean-up activities. The drilling work is estimated to take approximately 160 days.

Fenja is scheduled to come online in the first half of 2023 and will produce approximately 28,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day at plateau.

Earlier this year, Neptune announced the safe and successful installation and testing of the electrically trace-heated (ETH) pipe-in-pipe solution which will transport oil from the Fenja field to the Njord A platform. At 37 kilometres, it is the world’s longest ETH subsea production pipeline.

The Fenja oil and gas field is situated at a water depth of 325 metres around 36 kilometres southwest of the Equinor-operated Njord A platform which will receive the Fenja fluids. Neptune holds a 22.5% owner share in Njord A which is located 120 kilometres north of Kristiansund.

Fenja partners: Neptune Energy (Operator, 30%), Vår Energi, (45%), Suncor Energy (17.5%), DNO (7.5%)