With the installation of a new Epcon facility the purification of produced water on the Hydro-operated Troll B platform in the North Sea will be further improved. A total of NOK 130 million will be invested in the platform to achieve the goal of zero environmental discharges.
Hydro signed a contract this week with Epcon Offshore relating to the purchase of a NOK 29 million water purification installation. Delivery is due to take place in March 2006.
"This equipment, which is additional to the purification already taking place in our processing plant, will further reduce the oil content of produced water compared with today," explains offshore installation manager Svein Ivar Leivestad.
The oil content in discharged water was previously approx. 12 milligrams/litre, while the official limit is 40 milligrams/litre.
"The equipment will be installed during the maintenance shutdown planned for June next year. As one of our measures to prevent harmful discharges, we also intend to set up a facility for nitrogen purification. Included in the installation are total labour costs of roughly NOK 130 million," says Leivestad.
NOK 430 millioner zero discharge plan
Hydro's zero discharge plan involves measures costing NOK 430 million; measures that will help reduce the environmental impact around the Hydro-operated fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf by about 80 percent.
The reinjection of produced water from the Oseberg Field Centre is one of the measures to be implemented while Troll B and Troll C install new purification technology.