Aasta Hansteen is a gas field located in the Norwegian Sea, 300 kilometres west of Sandnessjøen. The discoveries that are the basis for the field, were made in 1997 and 1998, and production started in 2018.
The field is developed with the world’s largest spar platform, standing 339 metres tall and anchored at a depth of 1,300 metres, making it the deepest field development on the Norwegian continental shelf.
The field is a key supplier of gas to Europe via the Polarled pipeline.
Location: Norwegian Sea
Production: gas and condensate
Installation: floating spar platform
Discovery: 1997 (Luva), 1998 (Haklang and Snefrid Sør)
Production start: 16 December 2018
Helicopter base: Brønnøysund
Supply base: Sandnessjøen
Export solution: Gas via the Polarled pipeline to the Nyhamna terminal for further export to the UK. Condensate is shipped by tanker.
Operations office: Harstad
SPAR platform: SPAR is an abbreviation of Single Point Anchor Reservoir, a floating installation with a vertical, cylindrical hull anchored to the seabed.
Aasta Hansteen is the first spar platform on the Norwegian continental shelf – and the largest in the world. From top to bottom, the platform measures 339 metres – taller than the Eiffel Tower. It has a vertical, cylindrical hull anchored to the seabed (spar platform) and is a floating installation.
When the 70,000‑tonne platform was towed to the field in April 2018, it marked the largest tow on the Norwegian continental shelf since Troll A in 1995.
The Aasta Hansteen platform is anchored at a water depth of around 1,300 metres in the Vøring area of the Norwegian Sea. This makes it the deepest field development on the Norwegian continental shelf.
The Aasta Hansteen field originally comprised three discoveries: Luva (1997), Haklang and Snefrid Sør (1998). The plan for development and operation was submitted to the Norwegian authorities in January 2013, and the development was approved in June the same year.
In 2015, a new discovery was made in the area, Snefrid Nord, which also became part of the development and started production towards the end of 2019.
Total reserves for Aasta Hansteen and Snefrid Nord are estimated at 55.6 billion standard cubic metres (Sm³) of gas and 0.6 million Sm³ of condensate. This corresponds to 353 million barrels of oil equivalent.
Aasta Hansteen is considered a potential host for nearby discoveries once the field has passed plateau production.
In November 2022, Equinor, on behalf of the partners, submitted a plan for development and operation (PDO) for the Irpa gas discovery (formerly Asterix) to the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. The Irpa discovery is planned to be developed with three wells and an 80‑kilometre pipeline to Aasta Hansteen.
Polarled is the 482‑kilometre gas pipeline from the Aasta Hansteen field to Nyhamna in Møre og Romsdal. The pipeline was approved at the same time as the plan for development and operation of Aasta Hansteen in 2013.
The pipeline was fully installed in September 2015 and serves as the export solution for gas from Aasta Hansteen and other fields in the Norwegian Sea. The pipeline is designed to allow tie‑in of future discoveries in the area.
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The pioneer field Aasta Hansteen is named after another pioneer: women’s rights advocate, public debater, painter and author Aasta Hansteen (1824-1908).
For detailed information about production volumes, investments, ownership and reservoir specifics for Aasta Hansteen and its satellite fields, please visit each field's respective page on the Norwegian Petroleum website :