Petrofac’s differentiated approach to decommissioning, in support of Tullow Oil’s well plugging and abandonment campaign in the Southern North Sea (SNS), has delivered significant results and saved US$2.5 million compared to traditional approaches.
Well engineering and well project management services were deployed within the six-month contract for the Horne & Wren asset in support of Petrofac’s established position as Duty Holder. Part of Tullow Oil’s Thames Area Complex decommissioning project in the SNS, the well plugging and abandonment campaign was a key step in the schedule.
Petrofac successfully delivered the conceptual design, detailed planning, procurement, subcontractor management and the full execution of the plug and abandonment operations. Petrofac’s industry-leading well project management software* WellAtlas® was used throughout to ensure efficient and assured project delivery.
As Horne & Wren is a normally unmanned asset, there were a number of challenges to be overcome in the execution of the contract. Petrofac’s integrated cross discipline team developed innovative technical solutions to successfully mitigate these, including using a jack-up lift barge rather than a jack-up rig and deployment of a pipe recovery technique rather than a heavy lift vessel.
Alex Macdonald, Managing Director – Well Engineering, Petrofac Engineering & Production Services, said: “This was a challenging but highly rewarding project. In addition to providing a highly cost-effective solution, we also saved time on the project by proposing optimisations solutions to allow the preparatory works to be integrated as simultaneous operations.
“This highlights our ability to provide effective outsourced plug and abandonment project management, seamlessly integrated into the overall decommissioning project and driving value through differentiation.”
Ian Manners, Project Manager at Tullow Oil, said: “Petrofac went above and beyond our expectations, with a high level of engagement achieved by collaborating with us as a single team. The UKCS operation is amongst the very best, if not the best in the world.”
* WellAtlas® is a unique integrated software tool which supports the entire well management and delivery agenda, providing a comprehensive overview of projects.