First gas on one of the largest recent discoveries in the North Sea has been delayed, according to partner Centrica Energy.
The firm said that first gas on the four-platform Cygnus development project in the southern North Sea is now expected in Q4 this year, later than originally anticipated. Back in 2014, the targeted date for first gas was late 2015.
The Cygnus field, some 150km off the coast of Lincolnshire, has gross 2P reserves of approximately 18 Bcm.
By 2016, it will be the second largest individual gas producer in the UK, operator GDF Suez, now Engie, said in 2014.
The Cygnus field consists of two drilling centers, the Alpha and Bravo. Heerema Hartlepool received the frame agreement from operator GDF Suez E&P UK (part of ENGIE Group) in August 2012 for the construction of three topsides, a compression module, with two bridges to connect the three Alpha platforms and a flare tower for the Cygnus field.
The APU platform receives the gas from the Alpha and Bravo wellhead platform and optimizes the gas to prepare for transportation through a pipeline to the Bacton gas terminal onshore.
The BWHP, an unmanned Satellite platform, is 42x25x13m in size and weighs approximately 3200-tonne and is situated circa 7km from the main hub. The BWHP will be operated remotely from the APU platform. Maintenance and other personnel can reach the platform by helicopter.
The Cygnus Alpha wellhead topsides sailed from Heerema’s Hartlepool yard in May 2014, be followed by the remaining topsides infrastructure in 2015.