Langeled pipeline

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Map of pipeline route

Ormen Lange Nyhamna

Easington terminal

The Langeled pipeline (also known as Langeled, or the Langeled project) is the world's longest underwater pipeline. The pipeline, which was built for Norsk Hydro ASA, will bring Norwegian natural gas to the UK.

Stretching 1,200 km from the Nyhamna terminal in Norway via the Sleipner Riser platform in the North Sea to Easington, Britain, the pipeline will eventually carry 70 million cubic metres per day. That equates to some 20% of Britain's gas supply.

The pipeline will be opened in two stages. The southern section (Sleipner Riser to Easington) began piping gas on October 1 2006, the northern section (Nyhamna to Sleipner Riser) will open in October 2007.[1] The official opening of the project was held in London on Monday, October 16 2006 by Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Norwegian counterpart, Jens Stoltenberg.[2][3]

1 Technical description
2 Ownership and operation
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Technical description

The pipeline is designated to bring natural gas from Ormen Lange gas field to the UK, but through the connector at Slepiner Riser it provides also an opportunity to send gas through Gassled’s existing network to continental Europe. The annual capacity of Langeled is about 20 bcm. This will supplement the Vesterled system with annual capacity about 12 bcm, which runs from Heimdal Riser platform in the North Sea to St. Fergus in Scotland.

[edit] Nyhamna-Sleipner Riser section

The Nyhamna-Sleipner Riser leg has a diameter of 1067 mm (42 inches) and cope with a pressure of 250 bar.

[edit] Hub at Sleipner Riser

At Sleipner Riser the Langeled has a connection to the existing Gassled transport system.

[edit] Sleipner Riser-Easington section

The Sleipner Riser-Easington leg has a diameter of 1118 mm (44 inches), which makes it the largest submarine pipeline in the North Sea. Its pressure is 155 bar.

[edit] Ownership and operation

The Langeled joint venture comprises the Ormen Lange licensees as well as ConocoPhillips and Gassco. It has been formed to build, operate and own the system from Nyhamna to Easington. In the planning and development phase the operator for Langeled was Hydro. On 1 September 2006 Gassco took over the operation of the pipeline and Statoil took over the running of the gas export project in cooperation with Hydro. British Centrica is a technical service provider at Easington.