The Aasta Hansteen gas development in the northern Norwegian Sea is on schedule for production start-up in third quarter 2017, reported operator Statoil ASA.
“We are building the largest Spar platform in the world, and we are setting a new depth record of 1,300 m for a field development and pipeline on the [Norwegian continental shelf],” said Torolf Christensen, Statoil’s head of Aasta Hansteen, at a press conference in Stavanger during Offshore Northern Seas 2014.
The project is being developed in several parts of the world, including South Korea where the hull and topside are being constructed. The first offshore work began this summer on the seabed with the laying of a fiber optic cable and installation of rocks for the Polarled pipeline.
As for subsea equipment, Christensen said that 93% is being provided by suppliers with “a Norwegian billing address.”
Helge Hagen, project manager for Aasta Hansteen subsea development, said, “The combination of deep waters, harsh weather conditions, and a long distance from existing infrastructure on Aasta Hansteen is unique globally.”
The Polarled pipeline is designed to extend from the platform 480 km to the Nyhamna processing plant (OGJ Online, Jan. 8, 2013).
