Project Profile
Value: US$850 million
Location: Block 204/30a, Block 205/26a, UK
Water Depth: 135 m
Oil Reserves: 40 mmbbl
Production: around 20-25,000 boepd (anticipated plateau rate, August 2016)
Start-up year: April 12, 2016
Chrysaor has opted for a steel articulated tower, comprising an eight metre diameter column with mini topsides (not normally manned) and a 300,000 barrel capacity subsea storage tank, coupled to a production well and a water injector. Both wells will be horizontal and 205/26a-7z will be recompleted as the producer. The Solan field was discovered in 1991 by Hess. It was abandoned as unviable and relinquished back to the government. Initial production is expected to be 12-15,000 b/d, later rising to 25,000 b/d, with an initial injection rate of around 20,000 b/d, rising to 35,000 b/d. Chrysaor estimates the Solan field resources to be 45 mmboe. The field life is expected to be 20 years but 75% of the reserves should be produced in the first 10 years. The block is located 160km north of mainland Scotland, west of the Shetland Islands. First oil from Solan is expected before the end of February 2016. When both pairs of wells are onstream, production is expected to peak at around 20-25,000 boe/d.
The field, which is currently producing at 11 kbopd, is ramping up to 14 kbopd from the first production well with water injection providing reservoir support. (July, 2016)
Operator:
Premier Oil: Operator with 100% interest
Contractor:
Sparrows Group: Crane operations and maintenance
Amarinth: Contracted to supply API 610 OH2 booster pumps.
ADIL: Assist with the execution phase
Aker Solutions: Provide hook-up and facility management services
Awilco Drilling: Drilling contract
Atkins plc.: Design responibility for naval architecture, the column and tank primary structure
Bifab: Fabricate topsides module and jacket
Bond Offshore Helicopters Ltd: To provide offshore crew transport
Drydocks World: Fabrication of the subsea storage tank and build a subsea facility
Emerson: Automate the new offshore platform
FoundOcean: structural grouting for the 8,000-metric ton (8,818-ton) Solan platform jacket and its 300,000-bbl subsea storage facility, also pile-grout the offloading system base, which will carry oil from the subsea storage facility to a shuttle tanker
Fred. Olsen Energy ASA: Drilling contractor with Byford Dolphin, assisted by Senergy
Heerema: Installation of the jacket, topsides and subsea tank
Mustang Engineering: Jacket engineering
Ocean Installer: Perform offshore survey operations
RRC Controls: Detailed design and manufacture of a four well subsea control system
Harkand: Contract awarded by Premier Oil Plc to support the operator activities on field. The multi-purpose service vessel the Siem Spearfish, which is on long-term charter to Harkand, arrived in Newcastle earlier this month to begin mobilisation for the campaign which will see it perform walk-to-work duties for the ongoing commissioning work on site. Spearfish is being fitted with an Ampelmann active motion compensated gangway which will allow personnel to walk onto the Solan platform safely, even in high wave conditions. The 120-metre Spearfish was launched last year after being designed and built at the Vard facility in Norway with input from Harkand. Constructed with a deck layout specifically designed to increase the efficiency for mobilisation and demobilisation, it is equipped with a 250 tonne AHC offshore crane with 3,000m of wire and two heavy workclass Triton 4000 metre XLS ROVs and can accommodate a crew of 110.
Ampelmann: Contract to provide one of its offshore access solutions to enable “walk to work” for a commissioning campaign on Premier Oil’s Solan field, West of Shetland in the UK. Ampelmann’s E-type system will enable workers to walk onto the Solan platform from Siem Spearfish, the multi-purpose service vessel chartered by Harkand, the company hired by Premier Oil to support the activities on the Solan field development. The E-type provides a stable transfer platform in conditions of up to 4.5 meters wave height. It is based on the same self-stabilizing technology as the A-Type, but with cylinders sized up 1.5 times. (July 2015)
Wood Group: A US$50 million contract with Premier Oil, to deliver topside operations and maintenance services to the Balmoral floating production vessel at the Solan installation, West of Shetland. The contract is for a duration of two years but has three one year extension options available. (March, 2017)