Green Light for North Sea Alligin Field

Green Light for North Sea Alligin Field
BP receives approval from the UK's Oil and Gas Authority to proceed with the Alligin development west of Shetland.

BP confirmed Monday that it has received approval from the UK’s Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) to proceed with the Alligin development west of Shetland.

The supermajor said the project, which is expected to come online in 2020, will target 20 million barrels of oil equivalent.

Alligin is located 87 miles west of Shetland in water depth of 1,558 feet. The Alligin development will consist of two wells, which will be tied-back into the existing Schiehallion and Loyal subsea infrastructure.

“We announced our intention to develop Alligin in April and six months later we have achieved regulatory approval. Always maintaining our focus on safety, we are modernizing and transforming how we work in the North Sea to fully realize the potential of our portfolio,” BP North Sea Regional President Ariel Flores said in a company statement.

“Alligin is part of our advantaged oil story, rescuing stranded reserves and tying them back into existing infrastructure. Developments like this have shorter project cycles, allowing us to bring on new production quicker. These subsea tiebacks complement our major start-ups and underpin BP’s commitment to the North Sea,” he added.

Brenda Wyllie, west of Shetland and northern North Sea area manager at the OGA, said the organization “is pleased to consent to the development of the Alligin field”.

“This fast-tracked project will maximize economic recovery through utilizing capacity in the Glen Lyon FPSO and is a good example of the competitive advantage available to operators from the extensive infrastructure installed in the UKCS,” Wyllie said in an OGA statement.

BP owns a 50 percent operated interest in Alligin, with Shell owning the remaining 50 percent stake in the asset.

In addition to the OGA’s Alligin development approval, Zennor Petroleum Limited announced Monday that it has received approval from the OGA to proceed with the Finlaggan field development in the UK central North Sea. First production from Finlaggan is expected in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Back in September, BP received approval from the OGA to proceed with the Vorlich development in the central North Sea. BP says the project will target 30 million barrels of oil equivalent.

BP’s Clair Ridge development, which is expected to target 640 million barrels of resources and have a peak production of 120,000 barrels of oil a day, is expected to start-up later this year. Clair Ridge is the second phase development of the giant Clair field, located 46 miles west of the Shetland Islands. The Clair field was discovered in 1977.



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