Statoil ASA and partners have ended the Kristin gas export project, a pipeline that was to have connected Kristin gas and condensate field with the Polarled pipeline under development in the Norwegian Sea (OGJ Online, Jan. 8, 2013).
In a statement, Statoil cited “unsustainable economics caused by increased investment costs and increased risk to volume availability.”
The cancelled project would have linked Polarled with the existing Aasgard Transport System via a 30-km spur to the Kristin platform, which serves as a hub for oil, gas, and condensate produced by Kristin and Tyrihans fields in the Halten Bank area.
Statoil said the Kristin spur would have represented less than 5% of total Polarled flows.
“The termination does not influence the Polarled project execution,” the company said.
Polarled will be a 480-km pipeline between deepwater Aasta Hansteen gas and condensate field and a gas plant operated by Shell at Nyhamna, Norway. At the field, the 36-in. pipeline will lie in 1,300 m of water.
Statoil leads a group developing Aasta Hansteen with the first use of a spar platform on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Partners in the Kristin gas project are Statoil 53.4%, Petoro 35.6%, and GdFS 11%.