The company, which recently changed its name from Statoil, is constructing the pipeline to link the Johan Sverdrup field, 160 km offshore in the North Sea to Mongstad terminal in Hordaland.
Oil from the field will be transported via a 283 km, 36 inch (914 mm) pipeline, while gas will be transported via Statpipe to Kårstø, Rogaland through a new 165 km, 18 inch (457 mm) pipeline for processing and further transportation.
Equinor said that soon the oil pipeline will be pulled into the Mongstad oil terminal, north of Bergen.
The 36 inch pipeline is being pulled through a pre-drilled hole at the bottom of the Fensfjord – a 30 km fjord – into the terminal.
The pipes are being laid from Saipem’s Castorone pipelaying vessel at depths 110-120 m.
The 330 m long vessel, has the capacity to triple joint pipes, 12 m long, or a double joint up to 18 m long, with diameters of up to 48 inch (1,219 mm) or 60 inch (1,534 mm) with coating.
At its deepest point, the oil pipeline will 537 m below sea level.
Geir Bjaanes, who is responsible for the subsea, power and pipelines for the Johan Sverdrup project, said, “The Castorone is now initiating pipelaying operations in the Fensfjord.
“The vessel will lay as much as 36,000 pipes – in total more than 400 km – when installing the oil and gas export pipelines for the Johan Sverdrup project.
“Assuming everything goes according to plan, the oil pipeline will reach the Johan Sverdrup field in July.”
At peak production, Equinor expects Johan Sverdrup to account for an estimated 25 per cent of petroleum production on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, with approximately 660,000 barrels will recovered on a daily basis.
Equinor, who will also act as operator, owns a more than 40 per cent stake in the Johan Sverdrup field development.
The other partners in the project are: Lundin Norway (22.6 per cent), Petoro (17.36 per cent), AkerBP (11.57 per cent) and Maersk Oil, Total company (8.44 per cent).
This article will be featured in the June edition of Pipelines International. To view the magazine on your PC, Mac, tablet, or mobile device when it becomes available, click here.
For more information visit the Equinor website.
If you have news you would like featured in Pipelines International contact Journalist Chloe Jenkins at cjenkins@gs-press.com.au
Image courtesy Statoil: Anette Westgård (Woldcam / Statoil)