Innovative technology which cuts the proportion of toxic components and oil in produced water is to be tested offshore by Statoil.
An 80 per cent reduction in these substances can be achieved with the new solution in produced water discharged to the sea from oil and gas platforms,
The trial is due to be conducted on the group's Statfjord B platform in the North Sea during early June.
If it proves successful, Statoil could consider adopting the technology on several of its fields, reports project manager Per Gerhard Grini.
No ceiling is currently set off Norway for discharging toxic components dissolved in produced water, and no economic solution has been available earlier to separate out these substances.
Called C-Tour, the new technology has been developed by Rogaland Research in Stavanger. It involves injecting condensed gas into the produced water to attract oil and dissolved substances.
That in turn makes it easier to separate out these unwanted components in the platform's regular process system.
The Statfjord B test is being funded by Norsk Hydro, Elf, Phillips Petroleum and Kværner Process Systems in addition to Statoil.