RWE Dea contracts North Sea platforms

Offshore staff

HAMBURG, Germany -- RWE Dea has contracted Heerema Vlissingen in the Netherlands for a minimum facilities platform for its Breagh A gas development in the UK southern North Sea.

The yard will build the 85-m (279-ft) high jacket and piles, with a total weight of around 4,000 metric tons (4,409 tons), and the 1,400-metric ton (1,543-ton) topsides. Delivery is scheduled for June 2011.

Breagh A is in block 42/13 in 62 m (203 ft) water depth, around 100 km (62 mi) east of Teesside, northeast England. Gas will be exported through a new 20-in. (51-cm) pipeline to Teesside.

RWE Dea holds a 70% operated interest in the project, in partnership with Sterling Resources. It claims that Breagh and surrounding fields comprise one of the UK’s largest undeveloped gas resources.

Earlier this year, RWE Dea awarded the same yard the platform and piles for its Clipper South development in UK southern blocks 48/19 and 48/20, in 23 m (75 ft) water depth and around 169 km (105 mi) east of the Theddlethrope processing terminal.

In this case, the jacket will be 40 m (131 ft) tall, with a total weight (including piles) of 1,160 metric tons (1,278 tons), supporting a 2,000-metric ton (2,204-ton) topsides.

Clipper South is in the Sole Pit basin within the Rotliegend tight-gas play fairway. Here too, the gas will be sent to the UK mainland. Fairfield Acer is RWE Dea’s 50-50 partner in this program.

The field is due onstream early in 2012, with Breagh to follow that summer.


08/05/2010