Centrica knocks on Wood’s door for UK North Sea support

UK oilfield services provider Wood has been appointed as an integrated services partner by Centrica Storage for the company’s UK Southern North Sea operations. This long-term deal will enable the UK player to support Centrica’s goals of bolstering energy security and propelling the UK forward on its energy transition path.

Wood reported on Tuesday that the five-year contract with Centrica – covering the provision of engineering, procurement and construction solutions, operations and maintenance services, and project management services – was for the Rough gas field and the Easington Gas Terminal in East Yorkshire.

Ellis Renforth, Wood’s President of Operations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, commented: “We are delighted to have secured this contract with our new client, Centrica Storage. Our teams will draw upon our extensive expertise in brownfield modifications and decarbonisation solutions to ensure efficient, reliable and responsible operations of the Rough gas field and Easington Gas Terminal, helping to strengthen the UK’s energy supply as well as enable the next phase of their energy transition journey.”

Rough, “the UK’s largest natural gas storage site,” was recently reopened to help boost the UK’s energy security. The oilfield services provider has been deploying its experience in brownfield modifications to support the “significant” engineering designs and modifications required to enable the facility to store up to 30 billion cubic feet of gas ahead of this winter.

In addition, Wood’s scope of work entails supporting Centrica’s ambition to drive the UK’s clean energy transition by redeveloping Rough into “the world’s biggest hydrogen storage facility.”

Martin Scargill, Managing Director of Centrica Storage, remarked: “This is a long-term strategic partnership that will help us deliver our ambitious plans to provide energy resilience to the UK whilst driving forward the transition to net-zero. Centrica Storage, Wood and our supply chain partners are committed to protecting and growing highly skilled jobs in the region.”

In line with this, Wood plans to expand its engineering office in Hull, “securing highly skilled jobs” for around 100 local people, which is expected to propel the company’s growth in the Humberside area. This has been identified as “a key industrial hub” in delivering the UK’s net-zero ambitions.

“This award also brings an exciting opportunity to expand our operations in Hull and the Humberside area, working with local engineering talent and the supply chain to accelerate the delivery of energy solutions that will unlock a more secure and sustainable future for the region,” added Renforth.

Regarding Wood’s other recent deals, it is worth noting that the firm secured a long-term, multi-region contract in September 2022 with BP. The five-year engineering services contract will see Wood support BP’s energy production through the provision of asset repairs, modifications, and enhancements.

Additionally, the oilfield services provider won two offshore contract extensions in Brazil during the same month. These include the provision of operations services for Trident Energy and maintenance solutions for Equinor.