Norway: Statoil and Partners Choose Platform for Luva Gas Field
Norwegian gas and oil company Statoil has announced that it and its partners have selected a platform to develop the Luva gas field in the Norwegian North Sea.
The selection of the spar, which Statoil describes as a "major step", will be the first of its type on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, Statoil says. The spar platform will consist of a large-diameter, single vertical cylinder supporting a conventional deck with a processing facility and accommodation quarters for permanent crew and a condensate storage unit. The installation will then be fixed to the seabed.
The concept will also include two subsea templates, and a gas processing facility with a capacity of 23 million standard cubic metres per day.
The spar platform will target the Luva field, which has a water depth of 1,300 metres, which is not currently supported by any other infrastructure.
"This development may represent the start of deep-water production in the Norwegian Sea, and it will enable the tie-in of other discoveries in the same area," Ivar Aasheim, senior vice president for NCS field development in Statoil said.
In addition to the Luva gas field platform, a gas transport concept has also been chosen by the Norwegian Sea Gas Infrastructure (NSGI). A 480-kilometre, 30-36 inch thick pipeline will connect the Luva gas field to the onshore processing facility at Nyhamna, the Ormen Lange field's plant.
The same route will also be connected to the Linnorm field and tied in to the Zidane field. A connection to the Åsgard Transport system via the Kristin platform will also be possible in the future, with plans for tying in other fields and discoveries at a later date.
"NSGI would not only provide gas export solutions for Luva, Linnorm and Zidane, but also contribute in opening up a new gas region on the NCS (Norwegian Continental Shelf) – making it possible to develop existing and potential future discoveries in the area"' Statoil project director Håkon Ivarjor said.
"NSGI will also take care of gas exports from the Haltenbanken area that exceed the available capacity in Åsgard Transport, thus improving the resource management of the existing fields there. In this respect NSGI may play an important role in securing the NCS’s position as a long-term, reliable gas province."
The Luva gas field partners are Statoil (75 per cent), ExxonMobil (15 per cent) and ConocoPhillips (10 per cent).