Norway Exports Record Summer Volumes
Norway has achieved a record volume for summer gas deliveries to Europe.
Gassco, which runs Norwegian gas export infrastructure, exported 36.8bn m3 between May and August – a small rise from the same period of 2017 which was a record year for gas exports. The state company also noted September 21 that it will soon open its Polarled pipeline to carry more of gas from the Norwegian Sea, opening up a new gas region.
CEO Frode Leversund said strong European and UK demand for Norwegian gas gave rise to the summer 2018 record: “Not only has Norway’s continental shelf delivered larger volumes than before, but the transport system has also handled these increased quantities well.”
First gas is expected to flow later this year through the new 482-km, 36-inch diameter Polarled pipeline, linking the Aasta Hansteen field to the Nyhamna onshore gas process plant. It is the first Norwegian gas pipe to cross the Arctic Circle. “Polarled gives us a complete gas motorway from the Norwegian Sea to Europe,” said Leversund. Gassco operates both Polarled and Nyhamna.
More gas is usually exported in the winter months, when demand for space heating increases, but Gassco said that this summer’s sales have almost matched a normal winter level. It transported 117.4bn m3 from Norway to Europe (including the UK) in 2017, the highest for 40 years. Leversund said it was too early to say what the 2018 total would be, but it would be roughly on a par with that 2017 record. The company runs 8,800 km of gas pipes, plus terminals in Belgium, France, Germany and the UK. (Banner photo shows Gassco's new Emden terminal in Germany, operational since 2016; credit: Gassco)