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Over half of Norwegian Continental Shelf oil production will soon be powered from shore

Eight fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) currently receive power from the onshore Norwegian power grid, with a further eight planned, cutting some 3.2mn t/y of  CO2 emissions, according to a new report from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD, prepared in collaboration with the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), the Norwegian Environment Agency and the Petroleum Safety Authority.

An additional six electrification projects are approaching an investment decision. If they are adopted, some 4.9mn t/y of CO
2 emissions will be avoided. According to NPD projections, more than 50% of Norwegian Continental Shelf petroleum production will be run on power from shore in the mid-2020s.

‘In a few years, power from shore can allow us to avoid CO
2 emissions equivalent to 10% of total Norwegian greenhouse gas emissions. At this point, almost half of Norway’s oil and gas production will be running on power from shore,’ says NPD Director General Ingrid Sølvberg. ‘The companies are also working on several projects that could provide additional emission cuts beyond this.’

Today, the Troll, Gjøa, Ormen Lange, Valhall, Goliat and Johan Sverdrup fields have facilities supplied with power directly from shore. Vega is also operated with power from shore via its host installation Gjøa, and Hod via Valhall. In addition, the Martin Linge field, which is under development, will be supplied with power directly from shore, while the Edvard Grieg, Ivar Aasen, Gina Krog, Solveig and Hanz fields will receive power from the area solution on the Utsira High, which is part of the Johan Sverdrup field's second phase. The Duva and Nova fields will be operated with power from shore via Gjøa. Power from shore to these 16 fields will lead to a 3.2mn t/y reduction in CO
2 emissions compared to what they would otherwise have been, reports the NPD.

In addition to the 16 fields that are either operated with power from shore or where this has been adopted, six other projects have reached an advanced stage of the planning phase – on Troll B, Troll C, Oseberg Field Centre and Oseberg Sør, Sleipner and the Melkøya onshore facility.

An investment decision was made for power from shore for Sleipner in May 2020 and the project is now under regulatory review. The project will also provide power from shore to the Gudrun, Sigyn, Gugne and Utgard associated fields.

‘Electrification of the shelf will have consequences for the power system both in the form of somewhat higher electricity prices and a need for increased investments onshore,’ notes NVE Director General Kjetil Lund. The six projects in advanced stages of the planning phase will increase annual power consumption in Norway by up to 4 TWh, or about 3%y

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