Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK – Shell U.K. will remove the Goldeneye platform in the UK central North Sea and some of the subsea infrastructure, subject to approval by Britain’s regulator.
The wellhead platform, located 100 km (74.6 mi) northeast of the Aberdeenshire coast in 120 m (393 ft) of water, produced gas from the Goldeneye field from 2004.
It has a 1,400-metric ton (1,543-ton) topsides with five platform wells, with production tied back directly to the St Fergus process complex north of Aberdeen.
Cessation of Production was granted in March 2011. The topsides processing facilities have since been depressurized, the pipeline has been flushed and filled with inhibited water, and the wells plugged and made safe.
Shell has maintained the normally unattended installation and associated infrastructure in accordance with a revised Safety Case which is said to ensure that all critical safety systems are maintained, and the integrity of the platform preserved.
The company has submitted a draft decommissioning program to the UK’s Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Shell has also decided to remove the Curlew FPSO, 210 km (130 mi) east of the Aberdeenshire coast, and to decommission the associated subsea infrastructure, again subject to the regulator’s approval.
The FPSO, in 93 m (305 ft) water depth, hosted three subsea field tiebacks, and is connected to the Fulmar pipeline for gas export to St Fergus.
Shell has submitted a draft decommissioning program.
11/09/2018
