This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper OTC 18961, "The Ormen Lange Langeled Development," by Tom Rotjer, Hydro, prepared for the 2007 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 30 April-3 May. The full-length paper provides a summary of the challenges of executing the Ormen Lange Langeled project. The three main features of the project-execution phase are the Ormen Lange offshore development, the Ormen Lange onshore development, and the Langeled gas-export system including the gas-receiving facility in the UK. Introduction The Ormen Lange gas field was discovered by Hydro in 1997. The development of the field, 120 km off the midwest coast of Norway, is the largest industrial project in Norway. As of January 2007, the Ormen Lange Langeled project is more than 90% complete, within budget, and on schedule for gas export by October 2007. When Ormen Lange comes on stream in October 2007, the project will contribute to the increase of Norwegian gas export by 25%. The peak annual gas production from the field of 22×109 std m3 is equivalent to the total annual energy consumption in Norway. Gas from Ormen Lange will be able to meet as much as 20% of the UK gas demand. Production life is estimated to be 30 to 40 years. Ormen Lange's gas-export pipeline, Langeled, from Nyhamna in Norway to Easington on the east coast of England, is the world's longest subsea pipeline, with 42- and 44-in.-diameter pipes and a total length of 1200 km. The Ormen Lange field will contribute significantly to Norway becoming the second largest exporter of natural gas in the world. Project Management The Ormen Lange Langeled field-development project is organized with a multicompany integrated project team headed by Hydro. Shell is responsible for subsurface and drilling of production wells and for preparing for operations. Statoil is responsible for the execution of the Langeled project. Because of the shear size and complexity of the project, it was organized into the following three major subprojects with different focuses and challenges.The Ormen Lange offshore project consists of subsea installations approximately 120 km offshore, with templates, manifolds, and pipelines.The Ormen Lange onshore project consists of the gas-processing facilities at Nyhamna.The Langeled project consists of the 1200-km gas-export transportation system, the tie-in to the Sleipner field, and the Easington gas-reception terminal in the UK. Hydro organized a common project for the execution of the field development and the transportation system to secure the integrity of the Ormen Lange Langeled project from reservoir to market. The Langeled-project organization has been staffed with personnel from both Statoil and Hydro.
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