Abu Dhabi National Energy (TAQA) said it is transforming its North Sea Eider platform and ensuring continued production from the Otter Field as part of its strategy to extend the life of the northern North Sea oil and gas fields.
Abu Dhabi National Energy (TAQA) said it is transforming its North Sea Eider platform and ensuring continued production from the Otter Field as part of its strategy to extend the life of the northern North Sea oil and gas fields.
“The late life extension strategy involves converting the TAQA-operated Eider Alpha platform - which is no longer economically viable as a production platform - into a utility platform as part of a wider programme designed to extend the life of TAQA’s wider NNS infrastructure in the years ahead,” the company said in a statement.
Production from the Otter fields will now be redirected through a new bypass project, to the TAQA-operated North Cormorant platform, which previously produced to the Eider platform. As a result, the life of both field and platform are extended, the company said.
“In utility mode Eider will continue to provide power, chemical and system support to enable production from the Otter field, which continues to provide significant value to our business,” said Donald Taylor, TAQA Europe’s managing director.
Additionally, a plug and abandonment programme on the Eider wells is currently underway, with a planned removal of all significant hydrocarbons from the platform during the second half of 2018, TAQA said
“The operating model for Eider in its new role is focused on supporting reliable operations at reduced expenditure levels and ultimately on securing a safe and successful future for TAQA’s northern North Sea business,” Taylor said.
The new bypass project and the planned transformation of the Eider Alpha platform into a utility platform provides the company with a firm footing for its future operations in the northern North Sea, said Michael Tholen, Oil & Gas UK Upstream policy director. “This sort of infrastructure project will help the UK to make the most of its own energy resources for decades to come.”
Production on Eider ceased in early January, TAQA said, and the transition to utility mode will take place during 2018.
Source: Pipeline ME
