Worldwide cable industry expert Nexans has been awarded a major contract by OneSubsea (a Cameron & Schlumberger company) to design, manufacture and supply an integrated power umbilical solution and associated termination hardware for Exxon Mobil’s Julia oil field development in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. A 23km length of Nexans’ innovative power umbilical, which combines power cables and umbilicals in a single cross section, will be installed at water depths in excess of 2,000m to tie back the Julia field subsea systems to a semi-submersible production unit. The Julia field production start-up is scheduled for 2016.
Nexans wins power umbilical contract from OneSubsea for ExxonMobil’s Julia oil field project in deepwater Gulf of MexicoNexans has pioneered the development of power umbilicals that integrate the functions of power cables and umbilicals in a single cable, enabling a high-voltage (HV) supply to be provided for deepwater projects. The power umbilical includes a number of steel tubes as well as fiber optic elements and signal cables for control and monitoring purposes. For the Julia project, the power umbilical will operate subsea pumps supplied by OneSubsea.
The power umbilical for the Julia field will be designed and manufactured at the specialised Nexans subsea cable manufacturing facilities in Halden, Norway.
"This important contract for OneSubsea continues Nexans’ momentum for power umbilicals in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico" says Krister Granlie, Vice President Hybrid Underwater Cables, Nexans Norway. "It is clear that a growing number of operators are recognising that power umbilicals, while complex in design, offer a more elegant and cost-effective approach than the transportation and installation of separate subsea power cables and umbilicals."