The development of the Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea is one of the largest and most demanding industrial projects ever carried out in Norway.
The field commences production on 1 October 2007, and will be able to cover as much as 20 percent of Britains gas needs, for up to 40 years.
The plan for development and operation (PDO) of the Ormen Lange field was submitted to the Norwegian authorities on 4 December 2003.
The field has been developed with sea-floor installations at depths of between 800 and 1,100 meters, combined with an onshore plant at Nyhamna in Aukra municipality in Norway, for processing and exporting the gas.
This represents a significant advance in technological development on the Norwegian continental shelf.
No platform
Not a single installation will be visible on the surface of the sea above Ormen Lange when the field comes on stream. All the installations will be at sea depths of 800 to 1,100 meters.
Following a gradual increase in production over the first two to three years, the field will produce 70 million standard cubic meters (Sm3) of gas per 24-hour period.
Deliveries will probably continue for 30 to 40 years, since recoverable gas reserves are estimated to amount to a formidable 397 billion standard cubic meters.
Following processing at the onshore facility in Aukra, the gas will be exported through the 1,200-kilometer long pipeline Langeled, to the reception center in Easington on the east coast of Britain.
The gas can also be transported via the riser platform on the Sleipner field in the North Sea to customers on the European continent.
A challenging development
In technological terms, the development of Ormen Lange is extremely challenging.
For one thing, pipelines and installations had to be placed on the extremely steep and uneven area of the sea floor where the Storegga Slide took place 8,000 years ago.
In addition, the installations have to be able to withstand the exceptional currents that are characteristic of this part of the Norwegian Sea, as well as sub-zero temperatures on the sea floor, and extreme wind and wave conditions.
In order to tackle these demanding aspects of the environment, the Ormen Lange partnership have collaborated with key sections of the Norwegian research and industrial communities.
