Gassco calls for new export infrastructure development

Gassco, the company running the Norwegian gas infrastructure, called for the construction of additional infrastructure to expand the utilization of resources from the Barents Sea.

The company’s report on transporting more gas from Barents Sea South shows that expanding today’s capacity can lay the basis for further value creation from Norway’s petroleum resources.

Gas from existing fields and discoveries could give added value if increased transport and processing capacity can be established for this part of the Norwegian continental shelf.

A number of alternatives have been assessed, including enhanced capacity for the Melkøya gas liquefaction facility and exports by liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier or pipeline, Gassco said.

Frode Leversund, CEO of Gassco said, “Establishing new gas infrastructure in the Barents Sea would require cooperation across production licences, and it’s, therefore, important to maintain the extensive collaboration between the players in these waters.”

“The analyses in our report provide a detailed and updated factual basis for further work in this region,” Leversund said.

Unlike earlier studies, these analyses show that several gas transport options could prove profitable with proven resources alone. Including undiscovered resources would also make larger solutions economic.

An important contribution to profitability is that natural gas transport solutions established as a consequence of oil production would facilitate optimum reservoir development and help to ensure a high and rapid socio-economic return.

The report has been drawn up in collaboration with a large number of industrial players as well as the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).

“This report will be used as a basis for maturing projects to expand gas transport capacity from the Barents Sea,” Leversund said. “Together with the commercial players, we’ll now take this work forward.”