Reliable deliveries of gas are top of Hydro's agenda at the energy trade fair E-world 2006, which opened in Essen in Germany on Tuesday. Crown Prince Haakon was impressed by the Ormen Lange project when he visited Hydros stand at the energy trade fair.
More than 400 exhibitors are participating in the trade fair, among them 25 Norwegian companies. The strong Norwegian presence at E-world is linked to Norway's role as partner country for the trade fair this year.
It is the fourth time Hydro contributes with an exhibition at E-world.
Reliability of gas supply is the main theme of Hydro’s stand, first and foremost represented by the Ormen Lange development in the Norwegian Sea.
“The Ormen Lange land-based facility covers an area the size of more than 100 football pitches, while the subsea part of the project has the most challenging aspects in technological terms,” Jørgen C. Arentz Rostrup said, as he showed Crown Prince Haakon the stand.
Rostrup is Senior Vice President in Hydro’s Market sector within Oil & Energy. Norway’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Odd Roger Enoksen, and Economy and Energy Minister in North Rhine-Westphalia, Christa Thoben, were also part of the Crown Prince’s entourage.
Rostrup described Ormen Lange as Hydro’s most important project right now, both in terms of exploiting the significant gas resources in the field, and because it builds up important expertise within project management and technology which will prove invaluable in new projects, both within Norway and internationally.
3D visualization
On 3D visualization screens, the Crown Prince and the rest of the group could study the many challenges relating to the offshore part of the Ormen Lange project.
“The Crown Prince showed great interest in the project, and asked a lot of good questions. He was also interested in how this sort of project develops significant expertise within other areas, for instance IT and visualization,” Rostrup said.
The Crown Prince also visited Norway’s joint stand, where he was among other things given an introduction to the combined hydrogen and wind power facility that Hydro and its partner Enercon have on the island of Utsira, off the coast of western Norway.
“Since the Utsira project began in 2004, representatives from the energy sector, media, and tourists from all over the word have visited the island. In 2004, the Utsira project won the Platts Global Energy Award for the best project within renewable energy, a distinction which is rated very highly among those of us who work with energy. Hydro has now decided to continue the project until the spring of 2008,” Rostrup told the gathering.
Important meeting place
E-world is an important meeting place for the European energy sector, and for Hydro the event provides a good opportunity for meeting customers and partners.
Germany is Hydro's most important gas market, with a more than 40 per cent share of the company's long-term portfolio. E-world is therefore a central forum for meeting German clients and decision-makers on their home turf.