Shell has commenced subsea compression activities at the Ormen Lange gas field in the Norwegian Sea, part of the Ormen Lange Phase III project.
The initiative, which is said to be ahead of schedule and under budget, aims to enhance gas recovery from 75% to 85%. Two subsea compression stations have been installed, with expectations to boost gas extraction by an additional 30-50 billion cubic metres (BCM).
Shell, which is the operator of the Ormen Lange field, has a stake of 17.8%. Its partners include Petoro (36.5%), Equinor (25.3%), Orlen Upstream Norway (14%), and Vår Energi (6.3%).
The compression stations are located approximately 120km offshore, directly connecting to the Nyhamna processing facility without necessitating a new platform.
The Ormen Lange field, discovered in 1997 and operational since 2007, is situated in the Norwegian Sea at depths ranging from 800 to over 1,100m. The gas produced is exported to European markets via Langeled and the Norwegian gas export system.
The use of multiphase compression technology is expected to effectively double energy efficiency per unit of gas produced compared to traditional methods, reducing energy consumption by approximately 50%.
Ormen Lange’s initial production began in 2007 with two subsea templates in the central field area. Subsequent expansions included additional templates installed in different sections of the field in 2009 and 2011.
Main project contractors of Ormen Lange Phase III have been SLB OneSubsea for offshore operations and Aker Solutions for onshore responsibilities.
Earlier this month, Subsea7 awarded a contract from Shell for the Aphrodite gas project offshore Trinidad and Tobago. The contract entails the transportation and installation of subsea equipment at the Aphrodite development.
