Norwegian Energy Giant Equinor Awards Subsea Integration Alliance Contract for Bacalhau Phase 2 Project

Norwegian state-owned energy giant Equinor has hired Subsea Integration Alliance (SIA), a strategic alliance combining the strengths of SLB OneSubsea and Subsea7, to handle an assignment related to the next stage of its operated oil field off the coast of Brazil.

Subsea7 has confirmed Subsea Integration Alliance’s new contract with Equinor, which puts SIA in charge of the development of a concept study for the Bacalhau Phase 2 project.

This assignment, for which a deal was signed following a competitive process, will enable the work to be carried out by teams from Subsea7’s UK offices and SLB OneSubsea in Norway, with support from Brazil.

Olivier Blaringhem, Chief Executive Officer of Subsea Integration Alliance, commented: “This achievement is the result of a collaborative, integrated effort by SIA’s partners reflecting all the experience we have gained throughout Bacalhau Phase 1.”

Bacalhau Project Overview

After Equinor made the final investment decision (FID) for the $8 billion Bacalhau project in June 2021, a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit for this development marked the first application of MODEC’s M350 hull, a next-generation newbuild hull for FPSOs.

With a production capacity of 220,000 barrels per day, the FPSO Bacalhau was envisioned to be deployed at the Bacalhau field across two licenses, BM-S-8 and Norte de Carcará, in the pre-salt region of the Santos Basin offshore Brazil.

This development entails 19 subsea wells tied back to the FPSO, which is equivalent to three standard football fields. With the first oil from Phase 1 anticipated in 2025, the FPSO Bacalhau arrived at its destination in the Santos Basin on February 21, 2025.

Reserves and Partnerships

The recoverable reserves of Bacalhau, including the Bacalhau North area, are over 2 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe). Equinor operates the field in partnership with ExxonMobil, Petrogal Brasil, and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA).

Recent Wins for Subsea Integration Alliance

Subsea Integration Alliance has won multiple new jobs recently, including work for BP’s natural gas development project off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago and an oil and gas subsea tie-back in the UK sector of the North Sea.