Page 11 - Euroil Week 44 2019

EurOil PROJECTS & COMPANIES EurOil
Shell gets approval for rig decommissioning
UK
Shell will remove Goldeneye’s topsides and jacket removed to shore between 2020 and 2023.
ROYAL Dutch Shell has been given the green light to decommission its Goldeneye platform in the UK North Sea.
The Goldeneye field in the central North Sea began producing gas and condensate in 2004 and was shut down in 2011. Shell filed decommissioning plans with the government a year ago, and their approval was announced on November.
The Goldeneye platform will have its jacket and topsides removed to shore between 2020 and 2023, for eventual recycling or possible re-use, as it has a design life of 20 years but was only in operation for seven. Its subsea infrastructure is also set for decommissioning, while its wells have already been plugged and abandoned.
Shell intends to submit other plans for the project’s pipelines running to the St Fergus gas terminal later, depending on the outcome of talks with the government and their re-pur- posing as part of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) scheme. Shell operates the project with a 49.1% stake, while its partners are Esso (40.4%), Endeavour Energy (7%) and Spirit Energy (3.5%).
Shell is currently facing a backlash from
NGOs over its decommissioning plans at the Brent oilfield in the North Sea. The company wants to leave the concrete gravity legs and bases of three platforms in place rather than removing them. To do so it has asked the UK government for an exemption from the 1998 OSPAR treaty banning the abandonment of installations in the North-East Atlantic Ocean. Alongside environ- mentalist groups, the plan has also been opposed by Germany and the Netherlands, also signato- ries to the treaty.
Shell’s CFO Jessica Uhl said on October 31 that the company’s plans were “fundamentally strong”, despite the criticism.
“We have been deeply involved over the last decade to help define what we believe is the right way of decommissioning of these assets,” Uhl said. “We have worked with scientists, NGOs and experts to develop these plans and we believe what is proposed is the right thing to do from a safety perspective, that it is environmen- tally sound, is technically achievable and it is a responsible thing to do.”
Greenpeace activists scaled two of the plat- forms last month to protest against Shell’s plans.™
Maersk to drill at Columbus gas project
Danish rig owner Maersk Drilling has secured a contract worth $8mn to drill a development well at the Columbus gas field in the UK North Sea, operated by London-traded Serica Energy.
Work will commence in the fourth quarter and continue for 70 days. Maersk is yet to select a jack-up rig to complete the well.
Serica has a 50% share in Columbus, while Tailwind Energy and Waldorf Production have 25% apiece. Development plans call for the construction of a single well that will be hooked to the Shearwater platform operated by Royal Dutch Shell. First gas is expected in the second quarter of 2021, with output set to reach a plateau of 7,800 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
November 1 2019
Egdon progress with North Sea farm out
UK oil and gas company Egdon Resources have entered the advanced stage of
NEWS IN BRIEF
negotiations to sell stakes in two gas fields in the UK North Sea.
It has reached an exclusivity deal with “a large internationally recognised exploration and production company” to sell shares in
its 100%-owned licences P1929 and P2304, containing the Resolution and Endeavour
gas discoveries. The exclusivity agreement requires that the pair sign a finalised farm-out contract by January 19 2020 and close it by April 19 2020.
Egdon’s managing director Mark Abbott said: “In our view, the calibre of the proposed partner reflects the upside potential associated with these assets and validates our strategy
to add them to our portfolio. This represents
a major step forward for these projects and results from the significant work undertaken by the team over a prolonged period.”
Egdon took control of P1929 in 2013.
An assessment by Schlumberger earlier this year placed its contingent gas resources at 231 billion cubic feet. It bought a licence for P2304 in late 2017 from Arenite Petroleum and Europa Oil & Gas. The licences are set for expiry at the end of this month but Egdon has said it is “hopeful” that its request for their extension will be granted soon.
November 4 2019
First inland LNG bunkering station starts operating
A subsidiary of France’s Total has cut the ribbon on Europe’s first shore-to-ship LNG bunkering station to provide fuelling services for inland shipping, located in Cologne in Germany.
The Netherland’s PitPoint, acquired by Total in 2017, said the station included a 200-cubic metre storage tanks and pumps that are able to refuel two vessels at a time. It provides services on a 24-hour basis.
“We are very proud to welcome Europe’s first permanent LNG bunker station at our port in Cologne,” Port operator RheinCargo said in a press release. “LNG is known to be a reliable and clean alternative fuel, which helps reduce pollutant emissions in particular. This is why we see the use of LNG as an important step towards a sustainable future for logistics.”
November 4 2019
PGNiG to charter LNG tankers
Poland’s state-run gas firm PGNiG has reportedly started the tender process to
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