BP - operator of the Skarv license and a shareholder in surrounding fields - says development of the Tampen-Norland area that Skarv lies within could be delayed by half a decade. Stakeholders in the field and surrounding fields - primarily BP and Statoil - have been working on the Skarv export solution for more than a year. Following a study into the alternatives, Gassco said it found that "gas volumes, and consequently a willingness to invest by enough players, are currently insufficient for a new pipeline from the Halten-Nordland area to the Tampen area of the North Sea." BP, which owns an interest in several fields in the area, has proposed a new pipeline from the area to the Tampen area to avoid what it sees as costly tariffs through Statoil's Aasgard and Karsto systems. However, "Exporting Skarv gas via the Aasgard transport system to the Karsto processing complex north of Stavanger accordingly looks like being the best solution," Gassco said. Thor Otto Lohne, Gassco's vice president for commercial development, said there didn't appear to be enough gas at present to warrant the cost of a new pipeline. Story courtesy Global Pipeline Monthly - www.gasandoil.com/gpm.