bp said in a November 6 release that it successfully started production from the Seagull oil and gas field in the United Kingdom (UK) North Sea.
It said Seagull has been developed by Neptune Energy as a subsea tieback to the bp-operated central processing facility (CPF) of the 25-year-old Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP) in the central North Sea, around 140 miles east of Aberdeen.
The project supported 800 jobs through the development phase, bp said.
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Seagull is the first tieback to the ETAP hub in 20 years. The field is located 10 miles south of the ETAP CPF and is a four-well development. Production is delivered via a new three-mile subsea pipeline which connects to an existing pipeline system. A new 10-mile umbilical has been installed, linking the ETAP CPF to the Seagull field, providing control, power and communications services between surface and seafloor.
Bp said Seagull sustains continued production through the ETAP CPF, which supports 350 full-time jobs, 270 offshore and 80 onshore. Oil from Seagull is exported through the Forties Pipeline System to Grangemouth in central Scotland and gas to Teesside via the Central Area Transmission System.
The new field is expected to produce around 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent gross per day at peak production.
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Doris Reiter, senior vice president, bp North Sea, said: “A key focus for bp in the North Sea is to identify projects which can be developed efficiently using existing infrastructure. Seagull is a great example of this, and my thanks go to the committed teams at bp, our joint venture partners and supply chain colleagues who worked so hard to safely deliver this important project.”
Alan Muirhead, UK Country Director, Neptune Energy, added: “From the beginning, the partners have taken an innovative approach to ensure we can collectively maximise the recovery of domestic energy resources while extending the life of existing subsea infrastructure to reduce development costs.”
Tomomi Yamada, Managing Executive Officer, JAPEX said: “JAPEX is truly delighted with the safe and successful start-up of the Seagull field. We believe this commencement in production will benefit our business expansion strategy in the North Sea and realise the significant potential of the UK Continental Shelf.”
Neptune Energy holds a 35% stake in Seagull and operated the field through the development phase, drilling wells and installing subsea equipment. bp, with a 50% stake in Seagull, operates the production phase of the development. JAPEX holds the remaining 15% interest in the field.
