Page 56: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Apr/May 2013)

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Asset integrity

EPIC

Operations and life extension:

Key themes at SNS rial new fnds in the SNS - despite Southern North Sea Conference

Elaine Maslin reports on being the most mature area of the 2013, he added: “There are chal- the Southern North Sea 2013

North Sea. lenges. Wells are starting to lose

Conference, organized by East

Last year the development of pressure, water is starting to come of England Group the Cygnus feld was sanctioned. in to wells and I think another

Cygnus is the largest fnd in the issue is ensuring that we can a fnd

With a large feet of often unmanned SNS in 25 years and will include more innovative ways to get better and aging platforms, operators in fve jackets when it comes onstream contact between the well string and

W the predominantly gas producing in 2015, contributinging 5% of the hydrocarbon sands. If we’re suc-

Southern North Sea (SNS) are UK’s production. cessful in doing that, we will see having to face asset integrity issues Bill Cattanach, head of the the life of the SNS being extended head on. Pilot secretariat, part of the UK considerably.”

It is a complex task. Declining Government’s Department of Energy Perenco is the largest operator production and rising operational and Climate Change, said: “There is in the UK SNS, with 18 felds, 30 costs need to be balanced with still a lot of opportunity in the SNS. platforms, 210 wells (16 subsea), maintaining infrastructure and There are six new developments 1600km of subsea pipe work, and its integrity while hunting for in the medium term. We’ve still the Bacton Gas Terminal.

additional reserves and infll got 15% of the remaining UKCS Tie-backs and marginal felds opportunities. reserves here. It is very mature, are becoming increasingly impor-

It is not all about decline either. but we’re still seeing new projects tant for future production, making

There has recently been renewed coming forward like Cygnus. maintaining existing infrastructure optimism in the potential for mate- However, speaking at the crucial, said John Sewell, Perenco

Delivered in May 2011, the SWIFT10 independent-leg, cantilever jackup rig is now drilling off the Netherlands for NAM, a joint venture of Shell and

ExxonMobil, under a 5-year contract.

oedigital.com OE | April 2013 oedigital.com 5858 oe_sns conf_operations.indd 58 4/1/13 2:22 AM