Shell has been active in Norway since the late 1960s and is now the operator of the Draugen oil field, the Ormen Lange gas field and a partner in 22 production licences on the Norwegian shelf. We are the operator in nine of these.
The Ormen Lange project (Shell interest 17%) started production in September 2007, with Shell becoming the operator in December 2007. This complex deep-water gas development in harsh offshore conditions requires innovative undersea production technology. Ormen Lange is Norway’s second biggest gas field and is located 120 km offshore in water depth of 800 to 1,100 m. 120 km-long undersea pipelines transport gas to the Nyhamna Plant, from where the world’s longest undersea gas pipeline, Langeled, takes it 1,200 km to Easington in the UK.
Ormen Lange has demonstrated excellent operational performance since start-up, with six wells producing by the end of 2008. At its peak the field will produce around 2,500 million scf of gas a day, equivalent to up to 20% of the UK’s gas needs. Phase 2 will consist of up to 16 additional wells, two more undersea templates and an undersea compression unit.
The Shell-operated Draugen field has been producing for 15 years and it is expected to continue for a further 15 years, allowing some 70% of the field’s reserves to be recovered. Shell was also the operator of the development phase of the Troll Field and is an active partner in the Statfjord and Valhall fields.
