Norway officially inaugurated production on the gas field Aasta Hansteen in Sandnessjøen on 19 June. The field means that, for the first time, gas can be delivered to Europe from the north of the Arctic Circle. The operation of the field provides new activity and jobs in Northern Norway.
This is the first time we have been expanding into such deep water in Norway, it is the first Spar platform on the Norwegian shelf and it is the world’s largest of its kind,
…says State Secretary Rikard Gaarder Knutsen, who participated in the official marking of production event.
The Hansteen field, operated by Norwegian oil company Equinor, is located in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea, about 300 kilometers west of Bodø.
The field was discovered in 1997 and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 2013. Production on the gas field started in December 2018.
The daily operation of the gas field takes place from several cities in northern Norway.
Gas from Aasta Hansteen is transported in the 481 km long Polarled pipeline to the Nyhamna terminal at Nordmøre. Light oil is loaded onto tankers and shipped to the market.
With the development of the Hansteen field and the Polarled facilities, a new gas region in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea has opened up.
For the first time, gas is now delivered from the north of the Arctic Circle in pipes to Europe. Norwegian gas is important in the energy supply to the countries just south of us, while gas to replace coal means that the consumption countries in Europe can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions,
…added the State Secretary.
