oleocene.org

09 August 2016 10:00
Statoil has announced that drilling has commenced for a new injection well for CO2 gas on the Snøhvit field, with the drilling of a production well for Hammerfest LNG to follow

Pipeline option far cheaper than LNG alternative for moving Norway’s Arctic gas volumes

June 26, 2020

A Rystad Energy cost analysis of the Norwegian pipeline operator Gassco’s proposed options to export the country’s Arctic natural gas resources, shows that the expansion of Norway’s pipeline infrastructure is a more viable solution compared to boosting the capacity of the existing Hammerfest liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant. However, at least 40 billion cubic meters (Bcm) of additional resources from new discoveries would be needed in order to justify such an initiative.
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Norvège : 520 millions d’euros pour la nouvelle phase de Snøhvit

Publié le 12/03/2018 lemarin.fr

Les partenaires du gisement Snøhvit, en mer de Barents norvégienne, ont pris la décision finale d’investissement concernant la deuxième phase de développement du projet. Ils prévoient d’y consacrer plus de 520 millions d’euros.


Les partenaires de Snøhvit, dont fait partie Total, ont pris la décision finale d'investissement concernant la nouvelle phase de développement du champ. (Photo : Oyvind Hagen/Statoil)

Poland's PGNiG Expects Norway Gas Pipeline Link by 2022

by Reuters|Thursday, January 28, 2016

Polish gas company PGNiG's plan to build a pipeline between Poland and Norway to reduce its dependence on Russia is expected to introduce a few billion cubic metres (bcm) of annual gas capacity by 2022, it said on Thursday.

The timing of the project would bring the pipeline online in time for the 2022 expiry of state-run PGNiG's current deal to buy gas from Russia's Gazprom.

PGNiG buys up to 10.2 bcm of gas a year from Gazprom, catering for the bulk of Poland's yearly consumption of nearly 16 bcm. par an.

"By 2022 we want to have the technical possibility to transport a few billion cubic metres of gas from the north," PGNiG said in a statement.

PGNIG will present details of the Norway pipeline project later this year.

Compression de gaz sous-marine : des paliers magnétiques SKF

Publié le 23/11/2015 lemarin.fr

Des paliers magnétiques SKF S2M équipent la toute première station de compression de gaz sous-marine au monde mise en service par la compagnie norvégienne Statoil sur le champ gazier d’Åsgard, au large de la Norvège. Ces paliers magnétiques sont fabriqués par SKF Magnetic Mechatronics (S2M) dans son usine de Vernon, dans l’Eure.


La mise à l'eau de la station de compression de gaz sous-marine de Statoil au large de la Norvège. (Photo : Statoil)


Une vue d'ensemble de la station de compression installée sur le champ gazier d'Åsgard. (Document Statoil)

Monster Gas Field Revival Sets Norway Up for Output Record

October 22, 2015

The Troll A platform rocks like a boat as North Sea waves pound its four gigantic concrete legs, but monitors inside the control room show a steady flow of natural gas continues unabated -- enough to meet the needs of 10 million homes in Europe.

Norway is on track for record gas production this year after Statoil ASA put an end to technical issues that limited Troll’s capacity. And deep within the windswept jumble of pipes and machinery that top the platform 65 kilometers (40 miles) off the Nordic nation’s coast, two newly installed compressors stand ready to maintain the field’s unequaled capacity well into the next decade.

“These compressors provide an extra muscle, they strengthen the Norwegian gas machine,” Grete Haaland, senior vice president for asset management at Statoil’s marketing, midstream and processing business unit, said in a presentation on the Troll platform Wednesday. “They increase Troll’s ability to deliver more gas in the short and long term. That’s extremely important for us.”

Statoil is investing in its biggest gas field as the opportunity, but also the competition, expands in the European market. Demand in the region is growing for the first time in years, while safety concerns constrain output at its biggest onshore gas field. At the same time, prices are under pressure as Russia boosts shipments and increasing numbers of liquefied natural gas cargoes arrive from the Middle East and Africa.

Giant Field

Troll is a monster by any definition. It’s Norway’s biggest gas field, accounting for almost a third of gas production and 48 percent of remaining reserves, underpinning its position as Europe’s biggest supplier after Russia. Its platform -- the tallest structure to have ever been moved by human beings -- can deliver 120 million cubic meters of gas each day. Compressor breakdowns that reduced production have been resolved, Statoil said, helping the country to increase output again.

“Norwegian gas exports will most likely reach a new record this calendar year,” said Kjell Larsen, a spokesman for Gassco AS, the operator of Norway’s offshore pipeline network.

The nation has pumped 84.6 billion cubic meters of gas so far this year, exceeding forecasts by about 12 percent, according to figures from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Even if production fell back in line with NPD forecasts for the fourth quarter, total output this year would reach 116.5 billion cubic meters, beating the 2012 record of 114.7 billion.

‘Closed Chapter’

The unexpected growth is the result of improved reliability offshore, notably on Troll, whose compressor problems affected gas production in 2013 and 2014.

“This is a closed chapter,” Troll field director Oeivind Stamnes said in an interview. “We will prevent this from happening again.” Troll will produce about 33 billion cubic meters of gas this year, Stamnes said. That’s 14 percent more than last year, according to NPD figures.

Statoil rose 1.9 percent in Oslo, outperforming the 0.1 percent gain in the STOXX 600 Oil & Gas index. Front-month U.K natural gas prices fell 0.6 percent to 39.88 pence a therm.

“Troll had a couple of tough years, but they have now resolved problems with compressors,” said Trevor Sikorski, head of natural gas, coal and carbon at Energy Aspects Ltd. Norway will produce 116 billion to 117 billion cubic meters of gas this year, about 9 percent more than the NPD’s forecast at the beginning of the year, the consultant estimates.

Norway’s gas exports to Europe through pipelines jumped 9 percent to a record 107.4 billion cubic meters in the 12 months through Sept. 30, according to Gassco. The Nordic nation and its Russian competitor are increasing shipments into an expanding market this year as demand grows and the region’s own output falls.
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Statoil To Start World's First Subsea Gas Compressor In September

by Reuters July 17, 2015

Norway's Statoil plans to commission in September the world's first subsea gas compression facility, a technology that could prove significant for oil companies as they seek to move offshore equipment to the seabed, away from ice and storms.
Statoil called the facility, supplied by Norway's Aker Solutions, "a quantum leap" in subsea technology.

"Such technology has never been tested in the world before, so we are quite excited to see the results," Statoil spokesman Morten Eek said.

Along with another similar planned facility, the two will boost pressure at the Midgard and Mikkel reservoirs tied to the Aasgard field, helping increase total production by 306 million barrels of oil equivalent (45.9 billion cubic metres) of gas. Norway's total gas production in 2014 stood at 109 bcm. The pioneering technology has turned out to be particularly challenging, leading to longer commissioning time and higher costs.

Statoil now estimates the cost at 19.4 billion Norwegian crowns ($2.4 billion), up from 17.9 billion estimated last year and an original price tag of 15 billion in 2012. Statoil expects the technology to boost recovery rates from Mikkel to 84 percent from 59 percent and from Midgard to 87 percent from 67 percent.

Statoil has also installed a subsea gas compressor at the Gullfaks field, scheduled to start operating in the fourth quarter. It is expected to add 22 million barrels of oil equivalent of gas (3.3 bcm) to total output from the field, boosting recovery rate from 62 percent to 74 percent. Royal Dutch Shell in April dropped plans to install subsea compression at its North Sea Ormen Lange field, blaming rising costs and complexity.

Statoil Makes Gas Find Near Aasta Hansteen Field

OSLO, April 13 (Reuters) - Energy firm Statoil made another gas find near its Aasta Hansteen field in the Norwegian Arctic, further raising the gas resource in one of its biggest ongoing projects, it said on Monday.

Statoil found between 2 and 7 billion cubic metres of gas and together with a discovery announced earlier this year, it has increased the field's resource by about a quarter, it said in a statement.

Aasta Hansteen, earlier thought to contain about 47 billion cubic metres of gas, is expected to start up in 2017, pumping gas through a new 480-kilometre pipeline.

The field was earlier estimated to cost 32 billion Norwegian crowns ($4 billion) while the Polarled pipeline was expected to cost 25 billion crowns.

Partners in the new discovery include Statoil (42.5 percent), Centrica (20 percent), Norwegian state holding firm Petoro (20 percent), BASF subsidiary Wintershall (10 percent) and Atlantic Petroleum (7.5 percent).

$1=8.10 Norwegian crown

In Arctic, Norway steps on the gas

March 26, 2015

Gas production in northern Norwegian waters is steadily on the rise. But more discoveries and new infrastructure are needed for the region to become a major supplier to the continent.

Figures assembled by Patchwork Barents show that Norwegian gas production in waters north of the Arctic Circle in 2014 amounted to 263.4 billion cubic feet. That is the biggest volume from the region ever.

A lion’s share of the Norwegian Arctic production comes from Statoil’s Snøhvit liquefied natural gas project, the world’s northernmost of its kind, which in 2014 reached a production record of 184.3 billion cubic feet.

In the more southerly Norwegian Sea, the fields located in the waters off the county of Nordland in 2014 produced a total of 78.75 billion cubic feet. That volume will increase significantly as Statoil opens its Aasta Hansteen field, presumably in 2017. Included in that project is the construction of the 480 km long Polarled pipeline, a key piece of infrastructure which wlll link the Norwegian Sea with other parts of Norway’s gas grid and ultimately with consumers in Europe.

The Norwegian Sea is about to become an important gas-producing region. However, it is in the more northern Barents Sea that the Arctic resources are the biggest. Several discoveries have been made in the region over the last couple of years and several more are coming up as Norway opens for drilling in bigger parts of the area.
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....PolarledI is a new 480-kilometre gas pipeline from Aasta Hansteen to Nyhamna in Møre og Romsdal county. The pipeline facilitates the development of Aasta Hansteen and other fields in the Norwegian Sea......

Technip remporte un contrat dans le projet norvégien Snøhvit CO2

27 Juin 2013 enerzine

Technip a annoncé hier avoir remporté auprès de Statoil ASA un contrat pour des opérations de pose de conduites et d'installation sous-marine dans le champ Snøhvit situé à environ 140 kilomètres au nord-ouest de Hammerfest en Norvège, dans le cercle Arctique.

La production de gaz naturel de Snøhvit est basée sur une séparation du CO2 dans les installations à terre de Melkøya puis sur une réinjection dans le champ à travers un puits d'injection de CO2. Ce nouveau développement permettra l'installation d'un puits supplémentaire dans un nouveau système d'injection de CO2, ainsi que la préparation de la production de gaz à partir de systèmes d'injection existants.

Le gisement contient un certain pourcentage de dioxyde de carbone, qui est extrait lors du traitement du gaz. Dans la plupart des cas, le CO2 est rejeté dans l'atmosphère. A Snøhvit, au contraire, il est réinjecté dans une formation souterraine et cela afin de réduire l'impact du projet en termes de gaz à effet de serre.

Ce contrat comprend la fabrication et l'installation de flowlines(1), dont deux flowlines de 5 kilomètres en acier inoxydable d'une teneur en chrome de 13 % et une flowline d'injection de CO2 de 5 kilomètres, l'installation et le raccordement de spools, jumpers et ombilicaux(2), l'installation d'un nouveau système combiné de production et d'injection et d'un collecteur(3).

La flowline sera assemblée dans la spoolbase du Groupe à Orkanger (Norvège) et l'installation sera effectuée avec l'Apache II durant le premier semestre 2015. L'installation des ombilicaux, système d'injection, spools et autres équipements sous-marins associés sera réalisée par différents navires de la flotte de Technip.

"Ce contrat confirme le leadership de Technip dans l'installation marine pour les projets en Arctique. En outre il démontre nos capacités uniques lorsqu'il s'agit de fabrication et de pose complexe de flowlines en acier inoxydable de large diamètre" a déclaré Odd Strømsnes, Directeur Général de Technip en Norvège.

Il est en activité depuis 2007, suite à l'installation par Technip des infrastructures sous-marines.

(1) Flowline : conduite flexible ou rigide reposant sur le fond marin, permettant le transport des fluides de production et d'injection.
(2) Ombilical : assemblage de tubes d'acier et/ou de canalisations hydrauliques, de câbles électriques et de fibres optiques. Ce type d'assemblage est utilisé pour le contrôle des installations sous-marines.
(3) Collecteur : Conduite comportant plusieurs connexions d'entrée et/ou de sortie.

International Gas Pipelines
Norway operates several important natural gas pipelines which connect directly with other European countries, specifically France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Germany. Franpipe, with a capacity of 692 billion cubic feet per year (Bcf/y), exports gas to Dunkirk, France. Zeepipe I, IIA, and IIB have a total capacity of 2,384 Bcf/y and transport gas to Zeebrugge, Belgium. Europipe I and II, with a total capacity of 1,423 Bcf/y, export to Dornum, Germany, while Norpipe, with a total capacity of 572 Bcf/y, runs to Emden, Germany. Vesterled, capacity 463 Bcf/y, links to St. Fergus, Scotland, while Langeled, capacity 893 Bcf/y, links to Easington on the east coast of England. These pipelines are all operated by Gassco. Some pipelines run directly from Norway’s major North Sea production facilities to Gassco-owned processing facilities in the receiving country, while other pipelines connect Norway’s onshore processing facilities to other European markets.

Gassco is a Norwegian state owned company that operates 7,800 kilometres (4,800 mi) of natural gas pipes transporting annually of 88.5 billion cubic meter (bcm) of natural gas from the Norwegian continental shelf to Continental Europe and the United Kingdom.

15% of the total consumption of natural gas in Continental Europe is distributed through Gassco. The two domestic pipes Haltenpipe and Norne Gas Transport System are also administered by Gassco. In addition to pipelines, Gassco operates the terminals of Zeepipe in Zeebrugge (Belgium) and Franpipe in Dunkerque (France).

The actual ownership of the pipelines is organised through Gassled, owned by the petroleum companies in the North Sea, including Statoil, Petoro, ConocoPhillips, Eni, ExxonMobil, Norsea Gas, Shell, Total and DONG Energy. Though Gassled has a board, it has no employees or operations.

Norway produced 3.76 Tcf in 2010, up from 3.65 Tcf in 2009, and has been increasing its natural gas production every year since 1994. Norway’s NPD forecasts production of 3.85 Tcf in 2011, reaching 3.96 Tcf in 2015.

Norway’s single largest natural gas field is Troll, which produced 0.886 Tcf in 2010, according to the NPD, representing about one-quarter of Norway’s total natural gas production. The three other largest producing fields in 2010 were Ormen Lange (0.664 Tcf), Asgard (0.381 Tcf), and Sleipner Ost (0.265 Tcf). These 4 fields accounted for about 60 percent of Norway’s total natural gas production.

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Norway exported about 3.6 Tcf of natural gas in 2010, 94 percent of its production. Most of it was transported to Europe via its extensive export pipeline infrastructure and a smaller amount via liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker. The country is the second-largest supplier of natural gas to the European Union, behind Russia, supplying about 18 percent of Europe’s total gas demand in 2010. The largest outlets for Norway’s natural gas pipeline exports in 2010 were Germany, the United Kingdom, and France.