TAQA files decommissioning plans for two North Sea platform topsides

TAQA Bratani has filed its decommissioning programs for the Tern and North Cormorant platform topsides, located in the UK North Sea, to the UK authorities.

Under these plans, topsides of both these platforms will be removed onshore for reuse, recycling or disposal.

The North Cormorant platform is located in Block 211/21a in the UK Northern North Sea. The field was discovered in May 1974 by Shell / Esso with the platform installed in 1981 and production starting in February 1982.

A Cessation of Production application for North Cormorant is currently under preparation and will be submitted to the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA) in 3Q 2020. The CoP date is currently anticipated to be 4Q 2023.

The execution window for the North Cormorant topside decommissioning is at the earliest possible date in 2024 through to project completion in 2028.

The North Cormorant is a fixed installation serving as manned drilling and production facility for the Cormorant North field, which lies within the East Shetland Basin of the UKCS in licence block 211/21a.

The large steel jacket / sub-structure of the North Cormorant platform will be subject to a separate decommissioning programme.

The North Cormorant platform facilitates production from the North Cormorant and Cormorant East Fields. Oil and gas imported from Otter is separated out and processed via the North Cormorant process facilities.

The oil is then routed to Cormorant Alpha for onward transmission through the Brent Oil Pipeline System to Sullom Voe.

Associated gas, and gas imported from Tern Alpha, is exported through the Western Leg and the Far north Liquids and Associated Gas System (FLAGS) Pipeline to the St. Fergus terminal.

The Tern platform is located in Block 210/25 in the UK Northern North Sea. The field was discovered in May 1975 by Shell / Esso with the facility installed in 1988 and production started in February 1989.

A CoP application for Tern has been prepared and was submitted to the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA) in 4Q 2019. The CoP date for Tern is currently anticipated to be in 4Q 2023.

The execution window for the Tern decommissioning programme is at the earliest possible date in 2024 through to project completion in 2027.

Tern is a fixed Installation serving as a manned drilling and production facility for the Tern field, which lies within the East Shetland Basin of the UKCS in licence block 210/25.

The large steel jacket / sub-structure of the Tern will be subject to a separate decommissioning programme.

The installation is located in 167 metres water depth and consists of a four-legged, steel jacket substructure, anchored by piles to the seabed.

Oil from the Tern, Hudson (operated by Dana), Kestrel, Falcon and Cladhan fields is produced and exported from the Tern installation to North Cormorant through a 16-inch subsea pipeline, and then via the Brent Oil Pipeline System to Sullom Voe in the Shetland Islands.

Separated gas is distributed between the Tern, Hudson, Kestrel, Falcon and Cladhan facilities as fuel gas and lift gas, with any excess being exported via subsea pipelines to Hudson, Kestrel, Falcon, Cladhan and Otter facilities.