Shell fired up for Fram gas boost

Shell said that its Fram field in the North Sea would be up and running within three years and will provide 5 per cent of Britain's gas at peak production, after winning government approval for the project.

The FTSE 100 company, which shares ownership of the field with America's Exxon Mobil but is the sole operator, said it will be producing 35,000 barrels of oil and gas equivalent (boe) a day at its peak, about two thirds of which will be in gas. That will be about 2 per cent of Britain's combined oil and gas output.

The Fram field is located 220 kilometres east of Aberdeen and 50 kms west of the line separating the UK's North Sea from Norway's, in water that is approximately 100 metres deep.