Project Profile
Location: Block 3/29, 390 km north-east of Aberdeen, North Sea, UK
Value: US$350 million
Peak production: 300mmcf (2009)
Recoverable reserves: 800bcf of gas
Water depth: 107 m
Start-up Year: 20 December 2005
The Rhum gas field is located 390 km northeast of Aberdeen in 109 metres of water. Gas production and export began on 20 December 2005. Development of the Rhum project was US$350 million.
Prior to the start of production, Rhum was the largest remaining undeveloped gas reservoir in the UK Continental Shelf. Rhum, which lies in block 3/29, was discovered in 1977 by well 3/29a-2. An earlier well (3/29-1) which was drilled in 1973, was abandoned due to the high pressure gas. With the combination of a high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) gas reservoir developed using a long distance subsea tie-back, exploitation of Rhum is regarded by BP as a world first.
Production of the field reached to 8.5 mcm per day in 2009. Rhum is expected to access recoverable reserves of 23 billion cubic metres. The field is tied back to the BP-operated Bruce platform via a 44-km export line which involves a 22-inch (560 mm) High Integrity Pipeline Protection System (HIPPS) protected pipe-in-pipe main pipeline. New gas processing facilities were installed on the existing Bruce Compression Reception Centre (CR) platform to process gas from Rhum. Gas is exported onwards from Bruce via the Frigg pipeline system to St Fergus and associated condensate is piped via Bruce into the Forties Pipeline System. The gas field had been shut down in November 2010 because production could break European Union sanctions against Iran.
Operators:
BP North Sea (deal with Serica Energy announced in November 2017)
Serica Energy: Operator with 50% interest
Iranian Oil Company (U.K.) Limited (a subsidiary of the NIOC): 50% interest