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Providing coverage of Alaska and northern Canada's oil and gas industry
July 2009

Vol. 14, No. 30 Week of July 26, 2009

Our Arctic Neighbors: Russian innovators seek Norwegian partners

Investment, design and manufacturing by companies in both countries could speed the development of Arctic offshore projects

Sarah Hurst

For Petroleum News

There are numerous technological spheres in which Norway and Russia can cooperate to advance development of Arctic offshore oil and gas deposits, Russian expert Andrei Lapin told the fourth Norway-Russia Arctic Offshore Workshop in Oslo June 17. The company Lapin works for, Moscow-based Promtehaero, is striving to promote the technological and innovation potential of Russian industry in the energy sector, and invited Norwegian companies to join forces.

Aerospace methods can be applied to remote exploration projects, Lapin said. Projects in this sphere could include exploration of ice conditions in the vicinity of offshore oil and gas deposits; technical diagnosis of marine facilities, including underwater pipelines; local production, ecological and geo-ecological monitoring in the vicinity of marine facilities; and the safeguarding of marine facilities.

Another sphere for possible cooperation is geophysical prospecting using a nuclear-powered submarine, Lapin said. In addition to the nuclear submarine with autonomous geophysical equipment on board, which could operate year-round, such projects would require an autonomous unmanned submarine (for near-bottom exploration), a transport and emergency submarine, a supporting icebreaker and a communication satellite. The total crew required for this work would be about 350, Lapin estimated.

Drilling submarine proposed

In the development phase of offshore projects, Norway and Russia could collaborate to use a drilling submarine, unmanned peripheral ships and submarine vehicles for the manufacture, replacement and servicing of underwater equipment, Lapin said. The very latest technology could aid oil and gas production in the deep-sea Arctic offshore area at depths of up to 200 feet. The drilling submarine would again be nuclear-powered and would be capable of surfacing in an emergency by breaking the ice regardless of ice conditions, Lapin added.

Various new technologies could be developed for offshore platforms in the Arctic, including small-dimension, modular, low-pressure equipment for the recycling of hydrocarbon gases; small-dimension equipment to use oil slime; and small-dimension equipment to produce electric power, Lapin said. New helicopters could also be designed to service offshore platforms located up to 600 kilometers (373 miles) from the coast. Hoverships with a capacity of 60 metric tons could ensure year-round transportation of large-scale cargos to the offshore locations, Lapin added.






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