Shell has cut production at Norway’s Ormen Lange gas field by around 40% after technical problems forced one of the field’s two subsea compressor stations offline, adding another potential source of tightness to Europe’s already strained gas market.

Production has been reduced by about 8.9 million cubic meters per day from the field’s 22.9 million cubic meter daily capacity since July 13, according to Norwegian gas infrastructure operator Gassco. The outage, initially expected to end in October, has now been extended to February 1, 2027.

“We are working to address technical challenges we have had on some of the compressors,” a Shell spokesperson said, adding that efforts are underway to restore normal production as soon as possible.

Ormen Lange is located about 120 kilometers off Norway’s coast, with subsea infrastructure operating at depths of up to 1,100 meters. The field began production in 2007 and is operated by Shell, which holds a 17.8% stake alongside Petoro, Equinor, Orlen Upstream Norway and Vår Energi.

The compressor problems come only about a year after Shell and its partners commissioned the field’s pioneering subsea compression system. The technology was designed to offset declining reservoir pressure and increase the field’s recovery rate from 75% to 85%, potentially unlocking 30–50 billion cubic meters of additional gas.

Ormen Lange supplies gas to Europe through the Nyhamna processing plant and the Langeled pipeline, making the prolonged outage particularly significant as European gas markets prepare for winter.

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