On 26 March, the pipe-laying vessel Solitaire started on the first stage of the Polarled installation project. The 482km long pipeline will transport gas from the Aasta Hansteen field in the Norwegian Sea to Nyhamna in western Norway. Statoil, as operator during the development of the Polarled project, is responsible for laying the pipeline between Aasta Hansteen and Nyhamna. As operator for the gas plant, Shell is responsible for preparing the Nyhamna processing plant for gas reception.
The gas pipeline will be laid in water depths of up to 1265m. Even though smaller pipelines have been laid in waters exceeding this depth, this is the first time a gas pipeline measuring 36″ in diameter is being installed at such water depth. The Polarled pipeline is the first pipeline to take the Norwegian gas infrastructure across the Arctic Circle. The pipe-laying operation is scheduled to be completed by the end of August. Nyhamna will be ready to receive Aasta Hansteen gas in 2017. When the pipeline comes on stream, Gassco will be operator for the pipeline and for the Nyhamna gas processing plant.
