Offshore staff
KØPERVIK, Norway– Gassco has replaced Norske Shell as operator of the gas processing plant at Nyhamna in Aukra on the mid-Norwegian west coast.
Originally the facility was built to process and export gas from Shell’s Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea through the Langeled system across the North Sea to the UK. It began operating in 2007.
Following recent upgrades, it will also handle gas from Statoil’s Aasta Hansteen project, due to come onstream next year, and other fields in the Norwegian Sea that may be tied into the 482-km (300-mi) offshorePolarled pipeline.
Gassco is the neutral operator responsible for operation of and infrastructure in Norway’s gas transport systems.
CEO Frode Leversund said: “The Nyhamna expansion project has helped to boost its processing capacity and permits better utilization of the surplus capacity established earlier in the Langeled pipeline to the UK.
“That provides flexibility and opportunities which in turn create renewed interest in the Norwegian Sea as a gas province. Our goal is to fill the Polarled-Nyhamna-Langeled axis with gas.”
Once Aasta Hansteen starts up, Nyhamna will have a total export capacity of 84 MMcm/d.
“This electrically driven facility allows gas from the axis to be brought to market with very low CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions per unit of gas delivered,” Leversund said.
Ownership of the Nyhamna plant has also been transferred from the Ormen Lange license to the new Nyhamna JV partnership, comprising Statoil, Petoro, Shell, Dong, Wintershall, OMV, ExxonMobil, Total, ConocoPhillips, CapeOmega, Edison, and DEA.
“We’ve prepared well for this change,” said Shell area vp Odin Estensen. “Meanwhile, we’ll remain the technical service providerfor Nyhamna, along the same lines as Statoil at the Kårstø and Kollsnes plants.
“Our employees will continue to do the same challenging job at Nyhamna as before, and we will remain operator for the Ormen Lange field itself.”
10/02/2017
