| Type | State owned |
|---|---|
| Industry | Petroleum |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Kopervik, Norway |
| Key people | Brian Bjordal (CEO) |
| Products | Natural gas pipelines |
| Employees | 300 (2010) |
| Parent | Government of Norway |
| Website | www.gassco.no |
Gassco is a Norwegian state owned company that operates 7,800 kilometres (4,800 mi) of natural gas pipes transporting annually of 88.5 billion cubic meter (bcm) of natural gas from the Norwegian continental shelf to Continental Europe and the United Kingdom.
15% of the total consumption of natural gas in Continental Europe is distributed through Gassco. The two domestic pipes Haltenpipe and Norne Gas Transport System are also administered by Gassco. In addition to pipelines, Gassco operates the terminals of Zeepipe in Zeebrugge (Belgium) and Franpipe in Dunkerque (France).
The actual ownership of the pipelines is organised through Gassled, owned by the petroleum companies in the North Sea, including Statoil, Petoro, ConocoPhillips, Eni, ExxonMobil, Norsea Gas, Shell, Total and DONG Energy. Though Gassled has a board, it has no employees or operations.
Gassco was established in 2001 and from January 1, 2002 it took over the administration and operation of the Norwegian pipelines to Europe. The goal is to be an open and transparent operator of gas pipes to the continent, following the rules of the European Union. Before the creation of Gassco and Gassled each pipeline was operated by a group of companies.
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