Norway's Minister of Petroleum and Energy Einar Steensnæs presented on Friday the new regulatory regime for gas transport in the Norwegian sector.
At the same time, an agreement concerning joint ownership of the gas transport system, Gassled, was signed by representatives from several international oil companies with gas interests in Norway, among them Norsk Hydro.
The event marks an historic day for Norway as a gas exporting country. New directives and regulations were laid down for access to Norway's gas transport system.
Provisions in the regulatory regime signify comprehensive change in control and pricing of capacity in the gas transport system. The insertion of new provisions ensure compatibility between Norwegian legislation and rules mandated by the EU gas directive for upstream gas pipeline systems.
The Norwegian gas transport system is the world's largest offshore gas pipeline network, encompassing more than 6,000 kilometers of pipeline between Norway's offshore sector and the country's mainland, the UK and the European continent. The system transports 12 percent of Europe's combined gas consumption.
Present at the signing of the Gassled agreement on ownership in natural gas pipelines and treatment facilities - tied to export to the UK and Europe - were representatives from Norsk Agip, ExxonMobil, Fortum, Norske Shell, Norsk Hydro, Statoil, TotalFinaElf, Norske Conoco and Petoro.
Representatives from Gassled operator Gassco, as well as users of the gas transport system, were also invited to the signing, which took place at the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in Oslo.
See also:
Map of Norway's gas transport system (PDF)  |
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| Press release from the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy | |
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