Around 30 fields are connected to Kårstø via pipelines, and millions of cubic metres of gas and condensate/light oil flow into the plant every day. There, the heavier components are separated out, while the rest, which is called dry gas or sales gas, is piped onwards to the continent.
The first gas reached the facility on 25 July 1985, and the first dry gas was sent from Kårstø to Emden in Germany on 15 October the same year. Since 1993 the plant has also been able to receive and stabilise condensate from the Sleipner field. In 2000 the facility was ready to receive gas from Åsgard and other fields in the Norwegian Sea through the Åsgard Transport pipeline. Since 2014 the plant has also been able to receive and stabilise condensate/light oil from the Gudrun field.
The latest developments at Kårstø have brought a large increase in its capacity to receive and process gas. Around 90 million standard cubic metres of rich gas can flow through the plant every day.
At the processing plant, wet gas (NGL—natural gas liquids) is separated from the rich gas and split into the products propane, normal butane, isobutane, naphtha and ethane. Propane is stored in two large rock chambers (caverns) with a total capacity of 90,000 tonnes, while butane, isobutane, naphtha and ethane are stored in tanks.
Production of LPG, ethane and stabilised condensate/light oil results in around 700 tanker dockings per year, meaning that the Kårstø plant ranks as the world's third largest producer of LPG.
The dry gas is exported from Kårstø via the Europipe II pipeline to Dornum in North Germany and through the Statpipe and Norpipe pipelines to Emden.
Technical service provider: Equinor