Norwegian energy company Statoil said the last stretch of a 300-mile natural gas pipeline crossing the Arctic Circle has been completed. The final piece of the 36-inch diameter Polarled gas pipeline was placed more than 4,000 feet below the surface of the Norwegian Sea in the Aasta Hansteen field. “With this pipeline, we open up for the export of gas to Europe from a completely new area, and with the infrastructure in place it will also be more attractive to explore the area,” Statoil project planner Torger Rod said in a statement. Aasta Hansteen is estimated to hold between 175 billion and 300 billion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, making it one of the largest fields in the region. Once it starts, an onshore […]