LONDON, Apr. 17 -- Norwegian state-owned oil and gas company Statoil AS shut down the Zeepipe trunkline on Saturday following a leak on an unmanned riser platform tied back to its Sleipner A installation in the Norwegian Sea.
Statoil said it would take about 2 weeks to repair to the pipeline, which transports gas from numerous fields off Norway to Zeebrugge in Belgium, but that safety on the installations involved had not been jeopardized "at any time."
Until gas transport resumes, European customers for Zeepipe gas will be supplied from alternative landfalls in Germany and France. Around 20% of the 56.8 billion cu m/year exported from Norway flows via the 814-km Zeepipe.
The Zeepipe trunkline system, which started contractual deliveries in October 1993, has been developed in several phases to carry Norwegian gas sold under the Troll gas sales agreements to continental Europe. The trunkline is one of five systems that carry gas to Europe.
Statoil has a 15% interest in the line. The state's direct financial interest holds 55%, Norsk Hydro AS 11%, Norske Shell AS 7%, ExxonMobil Corp. 6%, TotalFinaElf AS 4.6%, and Norske Conoco AS 1.4%.
Meanwhile, Statoil has entered discussions to sell Norsk Hydro 500 million cu m/year of gas for ammonia production for Hydro's Herøya complex south of Oslo.
Hydro is understood to want to reach agreement with the Norwegian Gas Negotiating Committee so that deliveries can begin "as soon as possible."
"Replacing the liquefied petroleum gases we currently use with natural gas will be cheaper," stated Energy Procurement Manager Steinar Solheim of Hydro's fertilizer business.
Solheim noted that any gas sales deal would be contingent on laying a pipeline to the Grenland industrial region, which includes Herøya.
