13.09.07
The Ormen Lange field, in which DONG Energy has a 10.34 per cent stake, started producing its first gas on 13 September 2007. The period before the official opening on 6 October will be used to test the production.
DONG Energy's share of the estimated reserves in Ormen Lange is approximately 40 billion m3, equivalent to Denmark's current natural gas demand for approximately ten years. The production from Ormen Lange will be modest initially. Production will increase in step with development, and is expecting to reach its plateau rate in 2010.
The gas from Ormen Lange will be piped to the gas treatment plant in Nyhamna in Norway and from there into the Norwegian gas transport system Gasled, which connects the Norwegian gas fields with both the UK and the Continent.
Ormen Lange is located at a water depth of between 800 and 1,100 metres approximately 120 kilometres off the coast. There are no visible platforms as all installations are on the seabed. Gas production under these conditions and transportation over such distances has created significant technical challenges, which has made it necessary to develop a number of new solutions along the way that are now proven.
- Our ownership interest in Ormen Lange is expected to contribute to the security of our gas supplies for years to come, underpinning our gas sales in the markets in Denmark and Northern Europe in which we are active. Our participation in this technologically ground-breaking project also provides us with valuable knowledge about the establishment and operation of production installations at high water depths. We will be able to draw on this knowledge in a number of the locations in which we are today participating in exploration for oil and gas, says DONG Energy CEO Anders Eldrup.
Hydro (18.1 per cent) has been operator of the development of the Ormen Lange field, and Shell (17.0 per cent) is operator of production. Other participants are: Petoro (36.5 per cent), Statoil (10.8 per cent) and ExxonMobil (7.2 per cent). With Ormen Lange, Norway will be the world's second-largest gas exporter, with DONG Energy as a player.
For further information, please contact:
Media Relations
Mr Ulrik Frøhlke
+45 2484 9725
