New York-listed cabling solutions provider Nexans in April announced that its power umbilicals would be used to power two subsea compressors at Gullfaks oilfield, located off the coast of Norway, which is operated by multinational oil and gas company Statoil.

The subsea gas compression station will be installed on the seafloor at the Gullfaks Sør satellite field, about 15 km from the Gullfaks C Platform. It will increase total gas extraction by 22-million barrels.

The cables will power two 5 MW gas compressors at a depth of 135 m. The 650 t station will be housed in a 420 t protective structure, managing a flow rate of 10-million cubic metres a day.

“Subsea compression is used when reservoir pressure falls below a critical level, reducing gas production. By compressing the gas on the seafloor, pressure in the pipelines is increased; gas flows faster and enables more to be extracted from the field. Subsea compression increases production, as well as the lifetime of the field,” explains Nexans.

The Gullfaks oilfield is located 160 km west of Sognefjorden, Norway. The subsea gas compression station will be the second of its kind in the world. Last year, Nexans delivered umbilicals to the first subsea compression station at the Åsgard gasfield, which is also operated by Statoil.

Nexans high-voltage under- water cable business senior executive VP Dirk Steinbrink explains that subsea wet-gas compression is suitable for small and mid-sized fields because of the compact size of the compressor.

He says the solution can be installed in new and existing fields, which, in turn, opens up possibilities for developing fields in the Arctic and other deep- water regions.

“We are proud to be at the cutting edge of this development. The long-term partnership between Statoil and Nexans has been important in facilitating this technological development,” he highlights.

The Gullfaks compression station will be in operation later this year.

About Nexans
Nexans claims that it “brings energy to life” through an extensive range of cables and cabling solutions that deliver increased performance for its customers. The company supports customers in four main business areas: power transmission and distribution (submarine and land); energy resources for the oil and gas, mining and renewables sectors; transportation, including road, rail, air and sea; and building, including commercial and residential buildings and data centres.

“Our strategy is founded on continuous innovation in products, solutions and services, employee development, customer training and the introduction of safe industrial processes with a low environmental impact,” states the company.

Nexans has an industrial presence in 40 countries and commercial activities worldwide. It employs about 26 000 people, with a sales generation of €6.4-billion in 2014.