Large gas platform being shipped off Arctic Norway shores
The world’s biggest floating installation of its kind is being tugged to the Aasta Hansteen field.
It will be Norway’s second natural gas field in operation north of the Arctic Circle. The Aasta Hansteen is located about 300 km off the north Norwegian coast. Water depth in the area are down to 1,300 meters and weather conditions harsh.
Until now, this part of the Norwegian Sea has had little infrastructure. When in operation, presumably later this year, the 42,000 tons installation will rule the waters of the Norwegian Sea.
First platform of its kind
The Aasta Hansteen platform is built in South Korea and based on a Spar FSPO, a a floating installation consisting of a vertical cylindrical hull moored to the seabed.
The platform is the first of its kind on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and the largest in the world. It will be connected with the 482 km long Polarled natural gas pipeline, which enables the project partners to easily export the gas to European buyers.
The Polarled was completed in 2015 and has a capacity to handle up to 70 million standard cubic metres per day. It will be able to handle all the natural gas produced at the Aasta Hansteen, as well as several surrounding fields. The Aasta Hansteen holds about 51 billion cubic meters of gas.
The Aasta Hansteen is developed by a partnership of Statoil (51%), Wintershall (24%), OMV (15%) and ConocoPhillips (10%).
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Baffinland mine ships record amount of iron ore in 2017, Radio Canada International
China: It’s official: China releases its first Arctic Policy, Cryopolitics blog
Finland: Finland prepares for ‘nightmare’ wintertime Baltic oil spill, Radio Canada International
India: Russian Arctic natural gas comes to India, The Independent Barents Observer
Norway: A new gas field in the Barents Sea for Statoil, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: With Arctic rush, Russia beats natural gas production records, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Arctic winds: construction start for Europe’s biggest wind park, The Independent Barents Observer
United States: Economist sees big role for US oil & LNG, but finds hurdles in Arctic, Alaska Public Radio Network
