The Åsgard field lies on the Halten Bank in the Norwegian Sea, about 200 kilometres off mid-Norway and 50 kilometres south of Heidrun.
The Åsgard A oil production ship arrived on the field on 8 February 1999 and became operational on 19 May. Gas production from the semi-submersible Åsgard B platform began on 1 October 2000.
The Åsgard field comprises the Midgard, Smørbukk and Smørbukk South discoveries.
Midgard straddles blocks 6507/11 and 6407/2, while the two other deposits lie in block 6506/11.
Saga Petroleum discovered Midgard in 1981, with Statoil finding Smørbukk and Smørbukk South in 1984 and 1985 respectively.
The two companies unitised the three fields into a single production licence in 1995, with Statoil as operator.
The largest development on the Norwegian continental shelf
Viewed overall, Åsgard ranks among the largest developments on the Norwegian continental shelf.
The world’s largest set of subsea production installations has been placed on the field, embracing a total of 52 wells drilled through 16 seabed templates.
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Åsgard A - oil production vessel. |
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Åsgard B - floating gas production platform. |
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Åsgard C - Condensate storage tanker (light oil).
Production from the Kristin and Mikkel fields is carried to Åsgard C. |
The overall Åsgard development comprises:
- development of the field itself in the Norwegian Sea
- the Åsgard Transport gas pipeline from the field to the Kårstø processing plant north of Stavanger
- the Kårstø expansion project
- the Europipe II gas trunkline from Kårstø to Dornum on the German coast.
Åsgard Blend
Crude oil, condensate and gas are produced from Åsgard. Crude and condensate are mixed to form a light oil called Åsgard blend. The liquid is pumped from storage tanks into shuttle tankers which sail between the fields and the different refineries.
Gas from Åsgard is piped through Åsgard Transport to the Kårstø processing
complex, north of Stavanger. The heavier components, such as ethane, propane, butane and naphtha are separated out at Kårstø. The dry gas is piped to continental Europe.
Åsgard supplies about 11 billion cubic metres of gas annually to European
customers.
Transport
The Åsgard development links the Halten Bank area to Norway's gas transport system in the North Sea, putting long-standing plans for a pipeline connection into effect.
Growing demand for Norwegian gas from continental Europe has made this possible, and Åsgard will help to meet the planned expansion in Norway's gas exports.
Gas from the field is piped through the Åsgard Transport line to the treatment plant at Kårstø north of Stavanger and on to European customers.
Oil produced via the A vessel is shipped from the field by shuttle tankers.
Environment
One development goal is to ensure that emissions from Åsgard are the lowest off Norway per unit of oil and gas produced.
An environmental assessment was drawn up in connection with the choice of technical solutions.
