Mongstad

Mongstad

Mongstad is an industrial site located in the municipalities of Lindås and Austrheim in Hordaland, Norway. The site features an oil refinery for Statoil and other oil companies, including Shell. At Mongstad, Statoil has a crude oil terminal with a capacity of 9.5 million barrels (1,510,000 m³). The port at Mongstad is the largest in Norway, measured in tonnage. The refinery at Mongstad is modern, and has been extensively upgraded, with a capacity of 10 million tonnes crude oil per year. The refinery is the largest in Norway, though medium sized by European standards. It is owned by Mongstad Refining, in which Statoil has a 79% ownership share and Shell 21%.

All the crude oil refined at Mongstad comes from the North Sea. The largest production is petrol, diesel, jet fuel and light petroleum products. The heaviest components are used to make petrol coke, an important ingredient in anodes for aluminum production.

In 2010, Statoil and DONG Energy plan to open Mongstad power station, a natural gas-fired thermal power plant, to provide the site with heat energy and electricity, as well as to the Troll gas field.

History

The first use of the site was in 1975, when Statoil opened its refinery. At the end of the 1980s, the refinery was expanded to the tune of NOK 14 billion, resulting in the Mongstad scandal after a NOK 6 billion overexpenditure on the facility, costing several Statoil executives their jobs. In the time of the “Mongstad scandal” as it was called, a “Mong” was colloquially used as a term for NOK 6 billion.

Statoil is currently building a natural gas-fired thermal power plant at Mongstad. The carbon dioxide emissions that will result have aroused public controversy.

Coordinates: 60°48′48.34″N 5°1′45.21″E / 60.8134278°N 5.029225°E / 60.8134278; 5.029225