Gassco Announces NOK6.5 Billion Upgrade of Norwegian Gas Plant

Norwegian firm Gassco, which transports domestic gas to continental Europe and the UK through an extensive network of pipelines, has announced a NOK6.5 billion, multi-year project to upgrade the Karsto gas plant north of Stavanger, Norway.

The initiative, known as KEP2010, aims to make the Karsto facilities more robust for safe and efficient operations for many years to come. The upgrade covers both electrical and instrumentation systems, both of which have been shown to need replacing.

Plans call for the completion of KEP2010 projects between 2010 and 2012, with upgrading work beginning in the autumn of 2008.

MW Kellogg in London, UK has been awarded the contract for KEP2010 engineering work, worth around NOK1 billion. MW Kellogg has carried out pre-engineering for KEP2010 since June 2006, with Sorco and Norconsult as subcontractors.

Gassco said that the Karsto plant plays a key role in the transport and treatment of gas and condensate from important areas of the Norwegian continental shelf. More than 30 fields are tied back to Karsto via pipeline. Around 30% of natural gas delivered from Norway annually is exported via Karsto.

While the Karsto facilities are owned by the Gassled partnership, the gas plant is operated by Gassco on behalf of the owners of Gassled. Meanwhile, Norwegian oil and gas player Statoil is the technical services provider for the plant.