A positive view is taken by Statoil of proposals presented at the Offshore Northern Seas conference today, 28 August, for increased offshore collaboration between Norway and the UK.
Greater cooperation in the North Sea is the theme of a report put forward today by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in Oslo and Britainâs Department of Trade and Industry.
This study has been drawn up by Norwayâs Konkraft industry collaboration and its UK sister organisation Pilot in a bid to exploit synergies between the two countries.
âThe UK is a big gas market for us,â says Statoil executive vice president Henrik Carlsen. âItâs important that the authorities lay the basis for the best transport solutions so we can reach it.
âGiven the opportunities offered by cross-border collaboration, itâs important for us that this work doesnât come to a stop.â
Konkraft and Pilot have also looked at the opportunities to cooperate on developing new fields to get more out of resources across the national boundary in the North Sea.
Statoilâs Gudrun discovery in the Sleipner area has been used as a case study for the way UK infrastructure could be one option for a development.
âBy removing barriers to developing fields across the boundary, the supplies industry can win more work,â says Mr Carlsen.
The working party has also looked at opportunities for increased standardisation between the two countries in the offshore sector.
Close cooperation has been established between companies working on the two continental shelves over health, safety and the environment to get the best out of national rules and practice.
According to the working party, closer collaboration between Norway and the UK could lead to savings in the order of USD 2 billion on operation, removal costs and development spending.
A treaty will now be drawn up to remove any barriers which might exist to shaping the best possible solutions.
See the report on the petroleum ministryâs web site.