Ormen Lange
Encyclopedia
Ormen Lange is a natural gas field
on the Norwegian continental shelf
. It is situated 120 kilometres (75 mi) northwest of Kristiansund
, where seabed depths vary between 800 and 1100 m (2,624.7 and 3,608.9 ). The field is named after the famous longship
Ormen Lange
of Olaf Tryggvason, a 10th century Viking
king of Norway.
.
. Recoverable gas reserves are estimated to be ~300 billion cubic meters.
. After processing, the gas is exported by the world's longest subsea gas pipeline - Langeled pipeline
- approximately 1200 kilometres (745.6 mi) from Nyhamna to Easington
in England
. The northern section of the export pipeline has a diameter of 42 inches (1,067 mm), and the section from Sleipner to Easington has a diameter of 44 inches (1,118 mm). The field produces 70 million cubic meters of natural gas
per day.
Total cost is estimated to reach 66 billion
Norwegian krone
r (around US$12 billion) by the time of completion.
s that occurred in the area about 8,000 years ago have been investigated, with the conclusion that the risk of recurrence is negligible.
Ormen Lange was operated by Statoil
during the development stage. On 30 November 2007, Norske Shell
took over as the operator.
Natural gas field
Oil and natural gas are produced by the same geological process according fossil fuel suggestion: anaerobic decay of organic matter deep under the Earth's surface. As a consequence, oil and natural gas are often found together...
on the Norwegian continental shelf
Norwegian continental shelf
The Norwegian continental shelf is the continental shelf over which Norway exercises sovereign rights as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea...
. It is situated 120 kilometres (75 mi) northwest of Kristiansund
Kristiansund
Kristiansund is a city and municipality on the western coast of Norway, in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county. It was officially awarded township status in 1742, and it is still the major town for the region. The administrative center of the municipality is the city of Kristiansund...
, where seabed depths vary between 800 and 1100 m (2,624.7 and 3,608.9 ). The field is named after the famous longship
Longship
Longships were sea vessels made and used by the Vikings from the Nordic countries for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare during the Viking Age. The longship’s design evolved over many years, beginning in the Stone Age with the invention of the umiak and continuing up to the 9th century with...
Ormen Lange
Ormen Lange (longship)
Ormen Lange was one of the most famous of the Viking longships. It was built for the Norwegian King Olav Tryggvason, and was the largest and most powerful longship of its day. In the late 990s King Olav was on a "Crusade" around the country to bring Christianity to Norway...
of Olaf Tryggvason, a 10th century Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
king of Norway.
History
The field was discovered in 1997. Production began in September 2007. The King of Norway attended the official opening of this project, delivered on time and inside budget, on 6 October 2007, at the Aker football stadium in MoldeMolde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...
.
Reserves
The reservoir is approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) long and 8 kilometres (5 mi) wide, and lies about 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) below sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. Recoverable gas reserves are estimated to be ~300 billion cubic meters.
Technical description
The Ormen Lange field has been developed without using conventional offshore platforms. Instead, 24 subsea wellheads in four seabed templates on the ocean floor are connected directly by two 30 inches (762 mm) pipelines to an onshore process terminal at NyhamnaNyhamna
Nyhamna is a small peninsula on the northeast side of the island of Gossa in the municipality of Aukra in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located about northeast of the village of Varhaugvika and northeast of Aukrasanden....
. After processing, the gas is exported by the world's longest subsea gas pipeline - Langeled pipeline
Langeled pipeline
The Langeled pipeline is an underwater pipeline transporting Norwegian natural gas to the United Kingdom. Before the completion of the Nord Stream pipeline, it was the longest subsea pipeline in the world.-History:...
- approximately 1200 kilometres (745.6 mi) from Nyhamna to Easington
Easington, East Riding of Yorkshire
Easington is a small village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England in the area known as Holderness. It is situated between the Humber estuary and the North Sea at the south-eastern corner of the county at the end of the B1445 road from Patrington.The civil parish is formed by...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The northern section of the export pipeline has a diameter of 42 inches (1,067 mm), and the section from Sleipner to Easington has a diameter of 44 inches (1,118 mm). The field produces 70 million cubic meters of natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
per day.
Total cost is estimated to reach 66 billion
1000000000 (number)
1,000,000,000 is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001.In scientific notation, it is written as 109....
Norwegian krone
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
r (around US$12 billion) by the time of completion.
Natural conditions
Extreme natural conditions at the site (subzero temperatures part of the year, stormy seas, strong underwater currents, uneven seabed) put great demands on the technology used in the project. The Storegga SlideStoregga Slide
The three Storegga Slides are considered to be amongst the largest known landslides. They occurred under water, at the edge of Norway's continental shelf , in the Norwegian Sea, 100 km north-west of the Møre coast, causing a very large tsunami in the North Atlantic Ocean...
s that occurred in the area about 8,000 years ago have been investigated, with the conclusion that the risk of recurrence is negligible.
Ownership and operators
Several companies share ownership of Ormen Lange.- PetoroPetoroPetoro, a company wholly owned by the state of Norway, manages Norway's portfolio of exploration and production licenses for petroleum and natural gas on the Norwegian continental shelf. This portfolio is collectively called State's Direct Financial Interest . The company also has a control...
AS: 36% - StatoilStatoilStatoil ASA is a Norwegian petroleum company established in 1972. It merged with Norsk Hydro in 2007 and was known as StatoilHydro until 2009, when the name was changed back to Statoil ASA. The brand Statoil was retained as a chain of fuel stations owned by StatoilHydro...
: 29% - Norske ShellRoyal Dutch ShellRoyal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
: 17% - DONG EnergyDONG Energy-History:The Danish state company Dansk Naturgas A/S was founded in 1972 to manage resources in the Danish sector of the North Sea. After some years, the company was renamed to Dansk Olie og Naturgas A/S . At the beginning of 2000s, DONG started to extend itself into the electricity market by...
: 10% - ExxonMobilExxonMobilExxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
: 7%
Ormen Lange was operated by Statoil
Statoil
Statoil ASA is a Norwegian petroleum company established in 1972. It merged with Norsk Hydro in 2007 and was known as StatoilHydro until 2009, when the name was changed back to Statoil ASA. The brand Statoil was retained as a chain of fuel stations owned by StatoilHydro...
during the development stage. On 30 November 2007, Norske Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
took over as the operator.