Production on the Statoil-operated Åsgard B platform in the Norwegian Sea was shut down on 15 January after sparks and smoke appeared in an exhaust system. The crew quickly got the situation under control.
Personnel who did not have an emergency response role mustered at the lifeboats.
The sparks and smoke occured in an exhaust system in the turbine for one of the export ducts. Statoil is investigating the cause, and an inquiry team has been appointed.
Due to the shutdown, condensate and gas exports from the Statoil-operated Åsgard B and Mikkel fields have been halted. Output from Åsgard B represents about 45,000 barrels of condensate and roughly 27.5 million cubic metres of gas per day. Mikkel accounts for about 11,000 barrels of condensate and 4.5 million cubic metres of gas per day.
Production has also been stopped on the Statoil-operated Kristin field, which produces 11 million cubic metres of gas and about 62,000 barrels of condensate per day.
During normal operation, the Åsgard gas is mixed with gas from other fields in the area before being sent through the Åsgard Transport trunkline to the Kårstø processing complex north of Stavanger.
Gas from the Statoil-operated Heidrun field, which is usually sent to Kårstø via the Åsgard Transport line will be reinjected into Heidrun while Åsgard B is shut down. This represents about 1.5 million cubic metres per day.
It is not yet clear when production can resume from Åsgard B, but the shutdown has not affected deliveries to Statoil's gas customers.