Norway: Gassco Considers Ship-based Gas Transport

The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has asked Gassco to include the use of vessels when carrying out analyses of gas transport from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

This is intended to highlight opportunities offered by alternatives to pipelines, which rank today as the principal export solution for Norwegian gas deliveries.

Gassco is operator for much of the gas infrastructure on the NCS, including the processing plants at Kårstø north of Stavanger and Kollsnes near Bergen.

The company also has a role as infrastructure developer, which involves making integrated assessments of new gas processing and transport solutions.

“Evaluating liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) shipments accordingly represents an extension of our existing job,” says Thor Otto Lohne, Gassco’s senior vice president for financial and commercial development.

“Good forward-looking solutions call for us to think along broader lines, and ship transport would equip us better to meet the demanding challenges which face the NCS.

“Apart from technological issues such as deep waters, wave heights, and high reservoir temperature and pressure, gas finds lie far apart.Ship transport could then be a relevant option.”

Gassco has already studied LNG shipments from the Luva field in Norwegian Sea as a full or partial export solution.

It is, however, a significant less costly solution to build a pipeline to the existing gas infrastructure.

[mappress]

Source: gassco, August 23, 2010;