Tyra decommissioning plans start next year, Maersk says

In January 2017, Maersk Oil will start making plans for the decommissioning of the Tyra field, in the Danish North Sea, after failing to find a viable solution for full recovery of the remaining resources. 

Maersk Oil on Friday, December 30 issued a notification to the Danish gas market announcing that an economically viable solution for full recovery of the remaining resources in the Tyra field has not yet been identified, and that production from the Tyra field is consequently expected to cease on October 1, 2018.

Martin Rune Pedersen, Chief Operating Officer, Maersk Oil, said: “Tyra has since 1984 been the main hub for gas production and processing in the Danish North Sea. The Tyra facilities are approaching the end of their operational life, and together with our partners in DUC we have assessed solutions for safe decommissioning and possible rebuilding of the Tyra facilities.”

Despite more than DKK 1 billion spend on reinforcing the Tyra structures over the past 15 years, the facilities cannot safely continue production due to new knowledge on storm wave impact, combined with subsidence of the underground chalk reservoir which reduces the gap between the platforms and the sea, the oil company said.

“We have not yet found an economically viable solution for full recovery of the remaining resources in the Tyra field, and safe decommissioning of Tyra will therefore be commenced with the perspective of ceasing production on 1 October 2018. In January 2017, we will have to reallocate resources from Tyra rebuild planning to engineering work for a detailed plan to discontinue the Tyra field as the Danish hub for gas processing,” says Pedersen.

Tyra is Denmark’s largest gas field and the facilities are the processing and export centre for all gas produced by the Danish Underground Consortium (DUC). More than 90% of Denmark’s gas production is processed through the facilities.

The Tyra field is operated by Maersk Oil on behalf of the DUC, a partnership between A.P. Moller – Maersk (31.2%), Shell (36.8%), Nordsøfonden (20%) and Chevron (12.0%).