Energy major Shell (SHEL.L), and its partners have started up two subsea compression stations at Norway’s Ormen Lange gas field to help boost recovery of gas reserves, which are exported to European markets, the companies said on Friday.

The new compressor stations will increase the amount of gas recovered from the field from 75% to 85%, adding an additional 30-50 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas, Shell said in a statement.

Gas from Ormen Lange is processed at the Nyhamna plant on Norway’s west coast and exported to the European Union and Britain.

Norway in 2022 overtook Russia as Europe’s biggest gas supplier after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and maintains a programme of upgrades and exploration to maintain supply levels.

Ormen Lange is operated by Shell, which holds a 17.8% stake in the field, with the other stakes held by Petoro (36.5%), Equinor (EQNR.OL), (25.3%), Orlen Upstream Norway (14%) (PKN.WA), and Vaar Energi (6.3%).
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Nora Buli, editing by Terje Solsvik)