Tromsø wants Arctic oil base
The city of Tromsø wants to build a permanent base for oil and gas operations in the Arctic.
Local authorities in the city, the biggest in Norway north of the Polar Circle, are keen to proceed with plans for a permanent base. –With the increasing level of activities in the High North, there is a major need for such a base, Assistant Port Director Randi Thørring says to newspaper Nordlys.
The city this summer proved that it was able to handle base operations for the oil industry when technical maintenance operations on the Polar Pioneer rig were successful carried out in local facilities.
Read also: Tromsø mayor sees more oil rigs in the port’s future
Tromsø now wants to start developing the local Grøtsund Industrial Park with 80,000 square meters of land and a 220 meter long pier. Water depth in the area is 22 meters. The development of the base area can start from March 2012 and be completed in mid-2013, Thørring says.
-Tromsø has everything needed; hotels, an airport and other facilities required by the industry, she underlines.
