Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA) is transforming its Eider platform and ensuring continued production from the Otter field as part of its strategy to maximize economic recovery and extend the life of its oil and gas fields in the northern North Sea (NNS).
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 program designed to extend the life of TAQA’s wider NNS infrastructure in the years ahead.
A bypass project, successfully completed in late 2017, now redirects production from the Otter field - which previously produced to Eider - to the TAQA-operated North Cormorant platform. As a result, the life of both the Otter field and the North Cormorant platform wells are being extended.
TAQA’s Eider platform. Credit: TAQA
Donald Taylor, TAQA Europe’s Managing Director explains: “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. In addition, a plug and abandonment program on the Eider wells is currently underway, with a planned removal of all significant hydrocarbons from the platform during the second half of 2018.”
“We recognize that moving to utility mode will mean reduced manning is required on the Eider platform. We have maintained regular communications with all crew members and have committed to redeploy all TAQA staff not required for utility mode on Eider, across our operations, maintaining experience and expertise within our business. We are also working closely with our contractor companies to retain and redeploy crew where possible.”
“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.”
Oil & Gas UK Upstream Policy Director Michael Tholen said: “TAQA’s successful bypass project and 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. This sort of infrastructure project will help the UK to make the most of its own energy resources for decades to come.”
Brenda Wyllie, West of Shetland and Northern North Sea Area Manager at the Oil and Gas Authority said: “The OGA has agreed to these changes, firstly the transitioning of Eider from its production phase into a utility platform and welcomes the education of operating expenditure from the system; secondly, the re-routing of the Otter field’s production has been a vital step to deliver the maximum economic recovery from the field.”
Production on Eider ceased in early January and the transition to utility mode will take place during 2018.
