French offshore cable making and installation firm Nexans has confirmed it has won a contract to manufacture and install a power cable system that will deliver electricity directly from the Norwegian power grid to the Oseberg field center in the North Sea, off Norway.

The contract, worth more than 80 million euros ( ~$90,3+ million) comes after Equinor and its partners sanctioned a ~$1,1 billion project to further develop the Oseberg field.

Nexans' cable system will provide electricity to the field and the contract is a part of Equinor’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint.

Oseberg is located in the North Sea, around 140 kilometers north-west of Bergen. Nexans will use its recently launched Nexans Aurora vessel for the installation of the custom-made cable solution at Oseberg.

The cable system consists of one 3-core 132kV AC cable with the capacity to transport and supply 180 MW to the main platform at Oseberg.

The power cables will include two fiber optic cables, each fitted with 48 SM fiber optic elements. They will be connected to a central DTS system which crucially allows operators to detect early warning signs of any technical issues in the cables. The cables will be manufactured at Nexans’ plant in Halden, Norway. Installation is due to start in 2023.

The cabling system will allow Oseberg to operate using renewable energy harnessed from hydropower and achieve about 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in those areas of the field.

Ragnhild Katteland said: "Executive Vice President, Nexans Subsea & Land Systems Business Group: "Electrifying business operations in the energy sector plays an important part in reducing CO2 emissions and supporting the global transition to net zero. Equinor continues to make strong progress in achieving this, and our ongoing partnership with them is just another step in Nexans’ ongoing journey to electrify the future.”