Statoil and partners have submitted plans for development of deepwater Aasta Hansteen natural gas and condensate field offshore Norway and for an affiliated pipeline that will make further exploration and development possible in the northern Norwegian Sea (OGJ Online, July 13, 2012).
Statoil filed the plan for development and operation of the field with the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. It will install a spar platform in 1,300 m of water in the first use of the design on the Norwegian continental shelf.
The field, 300 km from land, is expected to start producing in third-quarter 2017. Plateau production will be 130,000 boe/d from a reserves estimated at 47 billion standard cu m of gas. Statoil, operator, holds a 75% interest. Other field interests are OMV 15% and ConocoPhillips 10%.
Statoil and its partners in the Polarled Development Project also have filed the plan for installation and operation of a 480-km, 36-in. gas pipeline from Aasta Hansteen field to processing facilities at Nyhamna. Polarled previously was called Norwegian Sea Gas Infrastructure.
The pipeline will be capable of delivering 70 million standard cu m/day to Nyhamna. It will have a 30-km, 18-in. branch to the Kristin platform connecting Polarled with the Aasgard Transport System.
Other possible field tie-ins include Linnorm, via the Draugen platform, and Zidane, via Heidrun. Two further branches, of 60 km and 173 km, are possible south of Aasta Hansteen, Statoil said.
Statoil’s partners in the Polarled project are Petoro, OMV, Shell, Total, RWE Dea, ConocoPhillips, Edison, Maersk Oil, GDF Suez, and Gassco.
