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Europipe II ready for gas

August 30, 1999, 10:00 CEST

The Europipe II trunkline is ready to be filled with gas by operator Statoil as soon as it has been dried out.

This follows completion of the final tie-in weld in the German North Sea over the weekend, which linked the submarine part of the line with an existing landfall section.

The latter was laid earlier alongside Europipe I through a tunnel which runs to shore under the most vulnerable stretch of Germany's coastal wetlands.

Once the weld had been completed above water, the tied-in line was returned to the seabed for drying over the coming week in readiness to receive gas.

Europipe II runs from Statoil's Kårstø gas treatment plant north of Stavanger to an expanded receiving station at Dornum on the German coast.

Trunkline and receiving facilities more than double Norwegian gas export capacity via the two Europipe systems to 115 million cubic metres per day.

The land line to Dornum has been tested and filled with gas under pressure, all facilities on land are ready for operation and the authorities have given start-up permission.

All these systems have been handed over to the operations organisation in nearby Emden, reports Arne KÃ¥re Nedland, manager for this part of the Europipe II project.

A new metering station at Dornum provides Statoil with a second delivery point in Germany, allowing it to meter and deliver gas both there and in Emden.

From Dornum, a line to the gas storage facility at Etzel connects with the Netra trunkline to eastern Germany, in which Statoil has an interest.

At the Norwegian end of the new system, the land line has been completed with the exception of some backfilling of spoil. This is currently under way.

All Europipe II systems at Kårstø have been completed and transferred to the operations organisation.

Official gas deliveries through the new trunkline are due to start on 1 October.