The start-up of Statoil AS's new Norne-Heidrun gas pipeline system in the Norwegian Sea has been postponed to Nov. 15 from Oct. 1. The delay, caused by the late arrival of Saipem's Maxita crane ship from Royal Dutch/Shell's nearby Draugen field, will not increase investment but means that the licensees of the two fields must seek replacement gas.
Statoil was scheduled to receive the vessel in July.
Norne is due to start exporting gas in order to optimize oil production, using a pipeline running south 128 km to tie into Statoil's Åsgard transport trunkline. Heidrun gas is linked by a 39-km line into the Åsgard transport, which runs to the Kårstø treatment plant north of Stavanger.
The Maxita will install modules containing safety valves at the points of tie-in with the Norne production ship and the trunkline. The units, which weigh close to 150 tonnes, need to be positioned by a heavy-duty crane ship.
Including conversion work on the ship, the Norne export line has cost about $1.2 billion kroner. It is expected to carry 1 billion cu m/year of gas.
The Heidrun part of the system cost $334 million and should transport roughly 75 million cu m/year.
