Three large plants in western Norway play a crucial part in ensuring that continental Europe and the UK meet their needs for Norwegian gas. They also create big value for the country through jobs, government revenues, and property taxes paid to their host communities.
Kårstø process plant in Tysvær local authority. (Photo: Øyvind Sætre)
These industrial facilities process, store and export natural gas and light oils from most of the fields on the NCS. Located at Kårstø near Stavanger, Kollsnes close to Bergen, and Nyhamna near Molde, this trio all play key roles in Norway’s gas transport system and account for more than half of all Norwegian gas exports.
Process plants for gas have been established on land for several reasons. The Storting decided in 1971 that, as a general rule, petroleum from the NCS should be brought ashore in Norway. These installations also form part of offshore field developments where landing gas has proved the best solution in technical terms.
Kårstø process plant in Tysvær local authority
(Photo: Øyvind Sætre)
Kårstø process plant was Norway’s first facility built on land for gas processing, as part of developing the big Statfjord field. Operational since 1985, its capacity has increased many times over since then.
This facility received products from more than 30 North and Norwegian Sea fields in 2016 through the Statpipe, Åsgard Transport and Sleipner condensate pipelines.
It separates out NGLs and splits them into ethane, propane, normal and iso butane, and naphtha. These products are exported by ship, as are condensate and light oil. Dry gas (mostly methane) is exported through the Statpipe and Europipe II pipelines.
Because of the extensive processing required to separate out and split the NGLs, many people regard Kårstø as the most complex of the three land plants in technical terms.
Kollsnes process plant in Øygarden local authority
(Photo: Øyvind Sætre)
Kollsnes process plant was established when developing the giant Troll field and became operational in 1996. In addition to Troll, it currently receives gas from Kvitebjørn, Visund and Fram.
At 146 million standard cubic metres (scm) per day, Kollsnes has the biggest pipeline export capacity of the three land plants. Dry gas is sent to Europe via the Zeepipe, Franpipe, Europipe 1 and Statpipe pipelines.
Condensate and NGLs are separated out at the plant and piped through the Vestprosess system to the nearby oil refinery at Mongstad.
The whole facility, which includes six large export compressors, is driven by hydropower from the Norwegian electricity grid.
Nyhamna process plant in Aukra local authority
(Photo: Shell, Svein Roger Ivarsen)
became operational in 2007 in connection with developing Ormen Lange in the Norwegian Sea off mid-Norway.
Production from this field is brought ashore through two pipelines to the facility, with the condensate separated from the gas for export by ship.
The gas is compressed for transport through the Langeled facility. At 1 300 kilometres, this ranks as the longest export pipeline in the Norwegian network.
Nyhamna was expanded in 2014-16 to receive additional gas from Aasta Hansteen and other future developments in the Norwegian Sea through the new Polarled pipeline – the first on the NCS to cross the Arctic Circle.
