Norway okays subsea gas compression project
Statoil has received approval of Norway’s Storting for a subsea natural gas compression facility in the Asgard area of the Norwegian Sea, which it says will be the world’s first such installation.
The project will increase recovery from Mikkel and Midgard gas and condensate fields, both based on subsea completions tied back to the Asgard B platform, by about 280 million boe (OGJ Online, Feb. 22, 2012).
The fields lie in 240-310 m of water on the Halten Bank about 200 km off mid-Norway.
The project includes a subsea template with two compressors, coolers, separators, and pumps powered by submarine cable. It requires modification of the Asgard B platform and Asgard A production ship.
Statoil said it has notified officials of a cost increase of possibly 20% from an estimate made last summer of 15 billion kroner. It expects start-up of the project in the first quarter of 2015.
Asgard interests are Statoil (operator) 34.57%, Petoro 35.69%, Eni Norge 14.82%, Total E&P Norge 7.68%, and ExxonMobil E&P Norway 7.24%.
Mikkel interests are Statoil 43.97%, ExxonMobil E&P Norway 33.48%, Eni Norge 14.9%, and Total E&P Norge 7.65%.
Bob Tippee | Editor
Bob Tippee has been chief editor of Oil & Gas Journal since January 1999 and a member of the Journal staff since October 1977. Before joining the magazine, he worked as a reporter at the Tulsa World and served for four years as an officer in the US Air Force. A native of St. Louis, he holds a degree in journalism from the University of Tulsa.
