Shell hands in Goldeneye decom plan to UK authorities

Oil major Shell has submitted its draft decommissioning program for the Goldeneye field installations and pipelines located in the North Sea to the UK authorities. 

The Goldeneye field is a normal temperature, normal pressure gas condensate field located in blocks 14/28b, 14/29a, 20/3b and 20/4b of the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) in the central North Sea, approximately 100km North-East of St. Fergus.

Goldeneye has been operational as a gas producing field since 2004, and the last well in the Goldeneye field watered out on December 8, 2010. The field was finally shut-in on February 16, 2011.

In March 2011, the JV Partners and DECC agreed with the Cessation of Production assessment made by Shell U.K. Ltd and approval was received from DECC.

The Normally Unattended Installation (NUI) is a four-leg steel jacket substructure supporting an integrated topsides deck structure. The design life of the platform was 20 years although the anticipated operating life was only 7-10 years.

There are five platform wells for the Goldeneye platform, though provision had been made for up to eight. The full well stream was transferred to the dedicated Goldeneye onshore facility co-located at the Shell St. Fergus gas terminal. The MEG was imported from St. Fergus for injection into the gas export pipeline. Goldeneye was fully controlled from Shell St. Fergus control room.

According to the plan, all installations/structures will be fully removed during decommissioning. The plan includes removal to shore of the Goldeneye topside and jacket for recycling/disposal. Wells will be plugged and abandoned and the large surface laid sections of pipeline will be trenched and buried and decommissioned in situ. The trenched and/or buried sections of pipelines will also be decommissioned in situ. The pipeline ends at the platform will be flanged, buried and/or remediated with rock cover.

The Goldeneye umbilical will be recovered to shore for recycling/disposal and surface laid mattresses and stabilization features will be recovered to shore for recycling/disposal.

Shell last April hired the Rowan Viking jack-up drilling rig to carry out a five-well plugging and abandonment program on the Goldeneye platform. The contract started in June and lasted for 100 days and after that the rig was expected to work for MOL in Norway on a two-well contract.

Offshore Energy Today Staff