Energy consultancy Xodus Group has won an open tender for the Detailed Design of the Huntington Development, the largest oil and gas discovery in the UK Central North Sea for five years.
The contract worth approximately £1 million is one of the largest subsea projects the Aberdeen-based consultancy has secured. It is expected to provide six months work for the Aberdeen and London branches of the 270-strong group.
E:ON Ruhrgas, which has a 25 per cent holding in the field, has signed a letter of intent for the use of the FPSO Sevan Voyageur, known as a ‘can-shaped’ floater.
Richard Heard, Director of Xodus Group said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Xodus. We originally did work at the concept stages so we are thrilled to have been retained for the Detailed Design of the structures and pipelines and FEED for the risers. It will involve an integrated approach with both London and Aberdeen offices involved in the project execution.”
A highly skilled team of engineers, which will be led by Heard, is currently being mobilised to execute this project, which involves flexible risers and umbilical, flexible and rigid pipelines, two subsea structures (SSIV and CATS Tee) and comprehensive flow assurance engineering.
Heard explained: “The Sevan Voyageur will have the production capacity of 30,000 barrels of oil per day and allows for early production. Produced oil will be stored in the FPSO’s integrated tanks before it is shipped via shuttle tankers, while natural gas will be transported via pipeline. First oil is expected in the fourth quarter of 2011.”
The Huntington Field is situated in the Central North Sea, with drilling at around 90 metres. The first phase of the project covers the Forties reservoir which was discovered and delineated in 2007. In addition to the Forties, there has also been a significant discovery in the deeper Fulmar field, which requires to be fully appraised before development can be undertaken.
Last year Xodus performed a Development Screening Study which identified and ranked potential development concepts for the Huntington field.
Xodus Group is a multi-discipline energy consultancy specialising in the independent delivery of development planning, strategic assurance and system optimisation services that support the upstream oil and gas and renewables sector. The group employs over 270 people and is headquartered in Aberdeen with offices in Edinburgh, London, Orkney and Perth, Australia.
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