An infrastructure company is being set up in Hammerfest with Statoil support to lay the basis for industrial development related to the group’s Snøhvit development in the Barents Sea.
Called Barents NaturEnergi, the new enterprise will focus on opportunities for commercial utilisation of energy products such as coolant and heated water and natural gas.
It is intended to be a prime mover for establishing new activity in the far northern county of Finnmark, and for adopting forward-looking, environmentally friendly technology.
Another goal is to create a regional gas company, and Barents NaturEnergi will study opportunities for gas distribution in the Barents region.
“This venture is based on a very good collaboration between its owners, local business interests and politicians,” says Kåre Haaland, head of business development in Statoil’s industrial development unit.
The group has a 30 per cent shareholding, with Hammerfest local authority, Hammerfest Næringsinvest, Siva and the Hammerfest Elverk power utility as the other owners.
You can keep up with the progress of the Snøhvit project on Statoil's new web site – www.statoil.com/snohvit – currently in Norwegian only. An English version of the web site will be presented in a few weeks' time.