Licensees on the Norwegian continental shelf must in future inform Gassco without being asked about petroleum developments which could require transport and processing capacity.

This follows amendments to statutory regulations issued under the Petroleum Activities Act, which were approved by the King in Council on 19 December.

These changes will provide Gassco with an early overview of gas transport and processing requirements – essential for its long-term planning and for taking account of offshore needs.

The company has previously been responsible under the regulations for continued development of the gas transport system on the NCS. Nevertheless, the industry, the authorities and Gassco itself have wanted this duty to be reinforced, which has in turn prompted the regulatory amendment.

“As the NCS matures and fields being developed get smaller, coordinating infrastructure projects across production licences will be increasingly important,” the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy told the King in Council.

“The changes to the regulations will ensure that the ministry is sufficiently informed about infrastructure projects at an early stage, and that studies considered important by the government are carried out.”

The amended regulation assigns responsibility for ensuring that studies are conducted to Gassco, but specifies that they must be performed in consultation with relevant companies on the NCS.

In addition, the regulation emphasises that information received by Gassco from licensees which contains commercial secrets is subject to a duty of confidentiality.

The amendments otherwise state that costs related to Gassco’s early-phase assessment of transport options must be met by system users through a supplement to the gas shipment tariffs.

Tags: Gassco