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Released December 26, 2018 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The deepest gas field in the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), Aasta Hansteen, has started production and will help secure future Norwegian gas exports to Europe.
It also marks the commissioning of the 482 kilometres (km) Polarled pipeline, operated by Gassco AS (Kopervik, Norway), which will transport gas from Aasta Hansteen to the Nyhamna gas processing plant and which is the first offshore pipeline to cross the Arctic Circle.
Located in 1,300 metres of water, Aasta Hansteen is located 300km west of Sandnessjøen, far from other fields and in an area with harsh weather conditions, said developer Equinor (NYSE:EQNR) (Stavanger, Norway). To date it has cost $4.3 billion to get up and running. The field development consists of a floating platform with a vertical cylindrical substructure moored to the seabed (spar platform), which is 339 metres tall and weighs 70, 000 tonnes. Equinor said that when it was towed to the field in April, it was the biggest tow on the NCS since Troll A in 1995. Gas is produced from seven wells in three subsea templates. The recoverable resources at Aasta Hansteen, including Snefrid North, are estimated at 55.6 billion standard cubic-metres (Sm3) of gas and 0.6 million Sm3 of condensate (353 million barrels of oil equivalent).
"Aasta Hansteen is a pioneer," said Anders Opedal, Equinor's executive vice president for Technology, Projects and Drilling. "Located in 1,300 metres of water, this is the deepest field development on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), the largest spar platform in the world, and a first on the NCS. The field now coming on stream is unique."
He added: "Aasta Hansteen has been a complex and challenging development project, requiring us to take new technological steps together with our partners Wintershall, OMV and ConocoPhillips as well as the suppliers."
The Polarled pipeline from the field to Nyhamna has the capacity to accommodate new discoveries also, the first of which will be Snefrid North, which is under development and will come on stream toward the end of 2019. The pipeline terminates at the Nyhamna plant in western Norway, where the rich gas gets processed before dry gas is sent on to the U.K. and continental Europe through Norway's integrated transport system.
Arne Sigve Nylund, Equinor's executive vice president for Development and Production Norway, commented: "The production from the Aasta Hansteen field will help secure long-term Norwegian gas export. With the infrastructure installed it will also be more attractive to explore around the platform and along the pipeline. This enables us to secure activity for many decades, in line with our ambitions for the NCS. The exploration activity in the area around the field has already increased, and several discoveries have been made." The pipe is 36 inches in diameter and the transport capacity for gas is approximately 70 million cubic meters per day.
"Starting up Polarled shows us that the Norwegian continental shelf is still under development," explained Frode Leversund, Chief Executive Officer of Gassco. "It will help to maintain gas deliveries from Norway to Europe for a long time to come. Norwegian gas has never been in such demand as it is today."
In October, Industrial Info reported that Norway had turned in record summer gas exports to Europe and could be on track to better 2017, a record year for Norwegian gas. For additional information, see October 3, 2018, article - Norway Posts Record Gas Exports to Europe.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
It also marks the commissioning of the 482 kilometres (km) Polarled pipeline, operated by Gassco AS (Kopervik, Norway), which will transport gas from Aasta Hansteen to the Nyhamna gas processing plant and which is the first offshore pipeline to cross the Arctic Circle.
Located in 1,300 metres of water, Aasta Hansteen is located 300km west of Sandnessjøen, far from other fields and in an area with harsh weather conditions, said developer Equinor (NYSE:EQNR) (Stavanger, Norway). To date it has cost $4.3 billion to get up and running. The field development consists of a floating platform with a vertical cylindrical substructure moored to the seabed (spar platform), which is 339 metres tall and weighs 70, 000 tonnes. Equinor said that when it was towed to the field in April, it was the biggest tow on the NCS since Troll A in 1995. Gas is produced from seven wells in three subsea templates. The recoverable resources at Aasta Hansteen, including Snefrid North, are estimated at 55.6 billion standard cubic-metres (Sm3) of gas and 0.6 million Sm3 of condensate (353 million barrels of oil equivalent).
"Aasta Hansteen is a pioneer," said Anders Opedal, Equinor's executive vice president for Technology, Projects and Drilling. "Located in 1,300 metres of water, this is the deepest field development on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), the largest spar platform in the world, and a first on the NCS. The field now coming on stream is unique."
He added: "Aasta Hansteen has been a complex and challenging development project, requiring us to take new technological steps together with our partners Wintershall, OMV and ConocoPhillips as well as the suppliers."
The Polarled pipeline from the field to Nyhamna has the capacity to accommodate new discoveries also, the first of which will be Snefrid North, which is under development and will come on stream toward the end of 2019. The pipeline terminates at the Nyhamna plant in western Norway, where the rich gas gets processed before dry gas is sent on to the U.K. and continental Europe through Norway's integrated transport system.
Arne Sigve Nylund, Equinor's executive vice president for Development and Production Norway, commented: "The production from the Aasta Hansteen field will help secure long-term Norwegian gas export. With the infrastructure installed it will also be more attractive to explore around the platform and along the pipeline. This enables us to secure activity for many decades, in line with our ambitions for the NCS. The exploration activity in the area around the field has already increased, and several discoveries have been made." The pipe is 36 inches in diameter and the transport capacity for gas is approximately 70 million cubic meters per day.
"Starting up Polarled shows us that the Norwegian continental shelf is still under development," explained Frode Leversund, Chief Executive Officer of Gassco. "It will help to maintain gas deliveries from Norway to Europe for a long time to come. Norwegian gas has never been in such demand as it is today."
In October, Industrial Info reported that Norway had turned in record summer gas exports to Europe and could be on track to better 2017, a record year for Norwegian gas. For additional information, see October 3, 2018, article - Norway Posts Record Gas Exports to Europe.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
