The Norwegian petroleum industry faces problems with low specific activity (LSA) scale (also called TE-NORM) settling inside pipes and other production equipment. About 400 tons of scale are stored at different dedicated locations. It is expected that the annual production of scale will increase from the present 20-30 tons to more than 100 tons in the future. The production increases with increasing age of the oil fields. An Environmental Impact Study for a planned repository site in Gulen municipality at the western coast of Norway was presented to the authorities in November 2004 and was approved. The acceptance from the local community and the public, as well as from the oil industry, was favorable. The construction of the repository in Gulen started in August 2006, and was completed in the autumn of 2007. It has a capacity of 6300 tons of LSA scale and may be expanded if necessary. The scale will be cleaned for oil, dried and packed in HDPE-lined concrete containers before disposal. The Government has given a State Fund Guarantee for the repository. The permit of operation was granted in March 2008. The repository is ready for operation in the last half of 2008.
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