Product tanks and vessel loading systems for Statoil’s Snøhvit project in the Barents Sea are to be supplied by Belgium’s Tractebel Industry Engineering under a contract worth some NOK 2.3 billion.
Placed by Statoil on behalf of the Snøhvit licensees, this ranks as one of the largest assignments for the gas liquefaction plant being built at Melkøya outside Hammerfest in northern Norway.
It embraces the design and construction of four cylindrical storage tanks, reports Morten Vinje, project manager for construction at Melkøya.
Two will store liquefied natural gas, each with a capacity of 120,000 cubic metres, and another will store up to 45,000 cubic metres of liquefied petroleum gases.
The fourth tank is due to hold some 470,000 barrels (75,000 cubic metres) of condensate (light oil).
In addition come piping and loading systems to connect the tanks with the export jetties.
Design work will begin immediately at Tractebel’s office in Brussels.
The tanks will be built on site, with construction due to start next May and completion scheduled during the autumn of 2005.
Snøhvit is intended to produce natural gas from 2006, and some 70 consignments of LNG will be shipped from Melkøya every year.