Deal in place to progress low-emission Irish Sea gas field

UK’s EnergyPathways has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with MCS Subsea Solutions (MCS) and Mermaid Subsea Services related to negotiating the provision of subsea FEED services for its field in the UK Irish Sea.

The MoU concerns negotiating the provision of subsea FEED engineering, project support, procurement, and offshore construction services for EnergyPathways’ wholly owned and operated Marram field project.

The company said it had already contracted with MCS and Mermaid in respect of initial work orders, the results of which will enable it to progress to defining the scope of the final contract in due course.

“The signing of this MoU is an important step in ensuring the necessary subsea expertise and project support capabilities are in place to deliver the Marram Project utilising cost-effective and timely project delivery solutions,” said Ben Cube, CEO of the MOU. 

“The Marram Project will provide affordable and reliable low emission energy to the UK market, while offering security of energy supply and commercial returns to our investors,” 

EnergyPathways is moving forward with the Marram short-cycle, low-emission gas field toward the final investment decision (FID). The project concept is said to entail a simple, low-cost two-well subsea tieback development, with the first production expected in  2025.

The project’s development strategy is set to further enable the adoption of diverless connection systems for shallow water, mitigating risks associated with traditional diver-based pipeline tie-in operations.

The Marram project marks the first UKCS development project on which  MCS and Mermaid will collaborate from FEED to commissioning.

“Delivering on the UK Government’s strategy of Maximising Economic Recovery of offshore oil and gas reserves, while also ensuring an orderly transition to net zero, is core to Mermaid’s business, and this MoU is further evidence of that. Marram is a low emission, high reward field, and we look forward to working with EnergyPathways and MCS to make this project a reality,” said Scott Cormack, Regional Director for Mermaid Subsea Services UK.

MCS and Mermaid plan to access fit-for-purpose vessel solutions and utilize their market position to secure global supply chain solutions for long lead items.  Additionally, they intend to implement the Zap-Lok mechanical interference fit connection system for the submarine pipeline.

According to EnergyPahtways, more than 7,500 kilometers of this system have been installed since the early 1990s and has been shown to save up to 40% in installation costs in shallow water relative to other approaches.