Premier’s Tolmount platform heads for North Sea

UK oil and gas firm Premier has seen the jacket and topsides sent off to their final destination at the Tolmount field in the Southern North Sea.

The infrastructure will meet the Sleipnir heavy lift vessel for installation in late September / early October.

The 500 Bcf Tolmount development is on track to deliver first gas in the second quarter of 2021.

Rosetti’s yard in Italy has delivered the jacket and topsides project.

To remind, the construction kicked off in December 2018, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, when the yard entered lockdown in March this year.

After the the platform installation, the drilling rig will mobilise to drill the initial four development wells.

The pipe lay is progressing well with the shoreline and inshore pipeline crossings successfully completed.

The Tolmount field should add 20-25 kboepd to Group production once on plateau later in 2021.

Specifically, the project development consists of a platform and associated gas export pipeline comprising the Humber Gathering System, owned by Humber Gathering System Limited (HGSL), a Kellas Midstream company and Dana Petroleum.

The Humber Gathering System will initially deliver gas from the Tolmount field to the Easington onshore gas terminal.

The development received green light by the joint venture and infrastructure partners in 2018.

The partners in the Tolmount gas field are Premier (50 per cent, operator) and Dana Petroleum (50 per cent).

Premier was also looking to purchase the additional 25 per cent interest in Tolmount from Dana.

However, it decided no to move forward with $191 million, plus contingent payments of up to $55 million, deal.