Gassco Completes Upkeep of NCS Gas Facilities

Gassco, a Norwegian operator of gas pipes transporting natural gas from the Norwegian Continental Shelf to Continental Europe and Great Britain, said it has completed an extensive programme for maintaining facilities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

“This year’s maintenance operations involved a number of demanding activities,” reports Kristin Kinn Kaste, senior vice president for system operation at the company.

“The turnaround at the Kårstø process plant was far-reaching, and involved the use of both alternative export routes and the coordinated shut-down of gas deliveries from a number of fields.”

She also notes that maintenance on Sleipner in the North Sea meant all gas from the Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea had to be sent directly to Easington in the UK.

“Such operations call for extensive coordination and a good flow of information in order to optimise remaining production on the NCS and to minimise the consequences,” Kaste emphasises.

Running from 1 April to 30 September, the annual maintenance season in Norway’s petroleum sector calls for close collaboration with field operators, plants, transport system users and downstream players.

That lays the basis for an efficient and optimised maintenance plan, where Gassco has the primary responsibility and serves as the hub of the work.

“There have been many revisions along the way, but the fruits of this work can now be seen. I’d particularly emphasis the good collaboration between all the parties involved.

“By drawing up long-term, efficient and integrated plans, we’re laying the basis for value creation in Norway and for ensuring secure gas deliveries to Europe.”