Loading switch for Don fields

Offshore loading will only be used for six months on the Don West and Don South West fields operator Petrofac said today as the Northern North Sea field developments were given the green light by the UK government.

Petrofac has indicated that under the approved field development plan, production will be exported from the Northern Producer for six months initially using an offshore loading system, but then output from the two fields will be switched to using a subsea export line connected to Lundin Petroleum’s Thistle platform and from there via the Brent pipeline system.

“We now move forward into the offshore development drilling and subsea construction phase,” said Bill Dunnett, executive vice president of Petrofac Energy Developments.