The world’s first subsea gas compression system went on stream September 17 at the Statoil-operated Åsgard field in the Norwegian Sea.

The video above shows the official opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Aker Solutions-built Åsgard subsea gas compression plant.

Aker Solutions in December 2010 was awarded the contract by Statoil to deliver the system, which consists of modules for two identical sets of compressors, pumps, scrubbers and coolers fitted together in an 1,800-metric ton steel frame.

The Midgard and Mikkel gas reservoirs have been developed using subsea installations. The two gas compressors now installed on the seabed are located close to the wellheads.

Moving the gas compression from the platform to the wellhead substantially increases the recovery rate and life of the fields. Prior to gas compression, gas and liquids are separated out, and after pressure boosting recombined and sent through a pipeline some 40 kilometres to Åsgard B.

Recovery from the Midgard reservoir on Åsgard will increase from 67 percent to 87 percent, and from 59 percent to 84 percent from the Mikkel reservoir. Overall, 306 million barrels of oil equivalent will be added.

“Thanks to the new compressor solution we will achieve increased recovery rates both at Midgard and Mikkel, extending the reservoirs’ productive lives until 2032,” said Siri Espedal Kindem, senior vice president for Åsgard operations.

The project started in 2005, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 2012.

An estimated eleven million man-hours have been spent from the start until completion. More than 40 new technologies have been developed and employed after prior testing and verification. Some of this work has taken place at Statoil’s Kårstø laboratory in Western Norway.

Overall, project cost were just above NOK 19 billion (USD 2.3 Bln).

Video: Statoil