Oil and gas company TechnipFMC has secured a “significant” contract from OMV (Norge) to design and install the subsea production systems for the Berling natural gas development project on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

Under the contract, TechnipFMC will be responsible for the integrated engineering, procurement, construction and installation (iEPCI) of subsea production systems, controls, pipelines and umbilicals for the Berling project development.

The award follows completion of a six-month integrated front-end engineering and design (iFEED) study for the project.

The study optimised the Berling field’s layout and improved its economics, TechnipFMC said.

TechnipFMC subsea president Jonathan Landes said: “Through iFEED, we demonstrated that iEPCI provides a solution which will accelerate delivery of this development. We are excited to support OMV through its first project as operator in the North Sea.”

TechnipFMC plans to start subsea installation in the second quarter of 2024.

The Berling field development concept involves a four-slot subsea production template tied back to the Equinor-operated Åsgard B processing platform via a 24km pipeline for separation and treatment.

OMV plans to drill three production wells at the Berling field, starting in the third quarter of 2026, with production scheduled to commence in 2028.

As per the estimates, the field comprises gross recoverable reserves of 45 million barrels of oil equivalent.

OMV energy executive vice-president Berislav Gaso said: “Berling is one of our key natural gas development projects and is geared to increase the share of natural gas in our portfolio as outlined in OMV’s Strategy 2030.

“The gas and condensate volumes are expected to further strengthen Norway’s position as an important European supplier of natural gas.”

TechnipFMC terms a contract as “significant” if it is valued between $75m and $250m.