Offshore staff
VIENNA, Austria – OMV has is set to take from ExxonMobil a 15% stake in the Aasta Hansteen field in the Norwegian Sea, and increase its share in the Norwegian Sea Gas Infrastructure (NSGI) pipeline project by 6.15%.
The deal is subject to approval by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.
Aasta Hansteen, operated by Statoil, comprises three gas discoveries in the Vøring basin in the northern Norwegian Sea, in a water depth of 1,300 m (4,265 ft).
The field development is in the front-end engineering and design (FEED) phase, with a final investment decision scheduled for 4Q 2012. Assuming approval, the acquisition will provide OMV with recoverable resources of 43 MMboe, with further exploration potential upside. Production is set to start in 4Q 2016.
OMV’s extra 6.15% stake in the NSGI project will lift its total share to 7.9%. This scheme too is in the FEED phase, and involves construction of a 480-km (298-mi), 36-in. (91.4-cm) pipeline from Aasta Hansteen to the Nyhamna gas processing plant on Norway’s west coast, and an expansion of the Nyhamma gas plant.
The pipeline will accommodate connection of Norske Shell’sLinnorm and RWE Dea’s Zidane fields, where OMV has a 20% stake, and possible tie-ins of other discoveries.
NSGI is operated by Statoil, in partnership with OMV, Centrica, ConocoPhillips, Edison, E.ON Ruhrgas, GDF Suez, Maersk, Petoro, RWE Dea, Shell, and Total.
7/16/2012
