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Exploration & Production: The Oil & Gas Review - 2003, Volume 2
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Domestic Use of Norway’s Natural Gas Resources
Natural gas will be the starting point for many future activities in the Stavanger region. A subsidiary of Lyse Energi – Lyse Gass – is building the connecting pipeline from the gas terminal at Kårstø to Risavika. The pipeline is 48km long with a diameter of 10 inches. The gas pipeline was laid by Stolt Offshore in just two weeks in August 2003 and broke many records with respect to cost, depth and speed. With its deepest point close to 600 metres below sea level, it is the deepest pipeline ever laid in Northern European waters.
Since the gas receival and pressure-reduction station are located within Energiparken, high-pressure gas will be available in large quantities. Energiparken at Risavika will also be the starting point for a major distribution grid for domestic use of natural gas in Norway. Gas deliveries will commence 1 March 2004.
The low-pressure domestic gas distribution grid also built by Lyse Gass is approaching a length of almost 300km. This is the largest onshore gas distribution grid in Norway. Initially, natural gas is used as a substitute for other energy carriers such as fuel oil. The majority of the customers are greenhouses, which can make use of both gas heating and the resulting carbon dioxide (CO2). With time, other users will be connected to the grid. Domestic gas utilisation in Norway is just starting.
Room for Many Activities
At an early stage in the development of Energiparken, a composition was made to illustrate which type of industry projects would have the greatest synergy effects if they were located together. This became the ‘road-map’ of Energiparken.
Space has subsequently been created for several companies wanting to locate and commercialise specific activities within the energy and environmental sectors. The natural starting point for several value chains is natural gas. The most important of these are from natural gas to environmentally friendly energy, from natural gas to food and from natural gas to hydrogen to transportation.
Energy production could be combined with heat and power generation from the demonstration plant with CO2 treatment, fuel cell plant and biofuel plant. Energy consumers may include activities such as production of fish and animal fodder as well as bioproteins.
Production of hydrogen would form the starting point for introduction of hydrogen as a fuel for transportation. The Stavanger region is a part of the HyNor project, a joint industry operated project with the objective of establishing a transportation route between Oslo and Stavanger. Along the route there will be five node points. On each of these, hydrogen will be produced and supplied to hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. A hydrogen value chain in the Stavanger region is planned to be in operation in 2005. Energiparken, therefore, has focus on identifying a company or group of companies wanting to establish hydrogen production from natural gas.
Current status
We are just at the beginning of an exciting development. Lyse Energi, one of the owners of Energiparken, has acquired the first plot. This will be used for the gas receival and pressure reduction station as well as other gas-related activities in the future.
Other groups of well-recognised companies are now evaluating the merits of locating some of their activities to Risavika.
Many Opportunities for the Petroleum Industry
Energiparken has many possibilities for oil and gas companies, suppliers and others. One opportunity could be the development and testing of energy and environmental technologies for use on offshore platforms and production units. Domestic energy producers will have the opportunities to develop and commercialise new technologies for energy production and address the environmental aspects.
As Energiparken is centrally located within a city region, interaction with the surrounding society is made possible. Products and by-products from energy production can be used as resources for other companies in Energiparken as well as downstream in the surrounding urban area. Electricity can be distributed efficiently through the connection to the overhead power grid.
There are also plans to lay a district heating grid in parts of the urbanised area. Thereby, waste heat can be utilised and the energy efficiencies of plants can be increased.
As facilities can be shared between different companies, there are several opportunities for cost saving. For example, if two companies need facilities for oxygen production and CO2 disposal, the facilities can be shared and costs can be lowered. The price for testing out new technologies can therefore be lowered.
Competence networks will be set up to assist the participants in their endeavours. These will involve connections to relevant authorities, contacts with investors, research institutions, competence providers but, not least, contacts with official programmes providing economic support and incentives.
Energiparken is adjacent to a new harbour, which is under development. In combination with the proximity to the Stavanger Airport only 5km away, the foundation for effective logistics has been created.
Our Vision
In the 1960s and 1970s, the industrial pattern in the Stavanger region underwent a major transformation from a fish-canning industry to an oil- and gas-based industry. While oil and gas continue to be major industrial activities, the foundation for new developments within energy and environment as well as the food industry is now being shaped.
Energiparken welcomes companies to learn about our project and explore the possibilities to join our vision and become part of an internationally recognised cluster for development and commercialisation of future-oriented energy and environmental technologies.
Category:
Overview & Strategy
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Per Moller-Pedersen is the
Managing Director of Energiparken
AS. He has 23 years of experience
from Shell companies in Norway
and abroad, the Norwegian Oil
Industry Association (OLF) and the
Inter-Municipality project ARNE. Mr
Moller-Pedersen graduated from the
Technical University of Trondheim
in 1981 with an MSc in Geology.
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