Eastern Trough Area Project

57°24′54″N 2°15′22″E / 57.415°N 2.256°E / 57.415; 2.256 The Eastern Trough Area Project, commonly known as ETAP, is a network of nine smaller

Shell

, and together, they are a rich mix of geology, chemistry, technology and equity arrangements.

Development

The ETAP complex was sanctioned for development in 1995 with first hydrocarbons produced in 1998. The original development included Marnock, Mungo, Monan and Machar from

natural gas condensate and 2 billion cubic feet (57,000,000 m³) of natural gas

.

A single central processing facility (CPF) sits over the Marnock field and serves as a hub for all production and operations of the asset including all processing and export and a base for expedition to the Mungo

process plant and the export lines, a riser area to receive production fluids from the other ETAP fields and the wellheads of Marnock. The Quarters and Utilities platform (QU) provides accommodation for up to 117 personnel operating this platform or travelling onwards to the Mungo NUI. This partitioning of accommodation and operations into two platforms, adds an extra element of safety, a particular concern for the designers coming only a few years after the Cullen report on the Piper Alpha

disaster.

Liquids are exported to Kinneil at Grangemouth through the Forties pipeline system. Gas is exported by the Central Area Transmission System to Teesside.

Apart from Mungo, which has surface wellheads on a NUI, all other fields use subsea tie-backs.

A tenth field, Fidditch, is currently under development by BP. (which has now been put on hold due to the global economic downturn)

ETAP fields

Marnock

The Marnock field is located in UKCS block 22/24 and is named after

AGIP. The holdings in the Marnock field are as follows: BP = 73%, Esso = 13.5%, Shell = 13.5%.^[1]

Mungo

The Mungo field is located in UKCS block 23/16 and is named after

Total S.A.

The holdings in Mungo are: BP = 82.35%, Zennor = 12.65%, JX Nippon = 5%

Monan

The Monan Field is located in UKCS block 22/20 and is named after

Total S.A.

The holdings in Monan are BP = 83.25%, Zennor = 12.65%, JX Nippon = 5% [1]

Machar

The Machar is located in UKCS block 23/26 named after

salt diapir. Originally, the half dozen wells produced under natural depletion but modifications are being made to include the capacity for gas lift. The field is solely a BP

possession.

Mirren and Madoes

These two were later additions to the ETAP complex. The Mirren field is located in UKCS block 22/25 and is named after

AGIP

.

The holdings in the Mirren field are as follows: BP = 44.7%, ESSO = 21%, JX Nippon = 13.3%, Shell = 21%.[1] The holdings in the Madoes field are as follows: ARCO = 31.7%, BP = 6.5%, Esso = 25%, JX Nippon = 12%, Shell = 25% ^[1]

Heron, Egret and Skua

These fields are high temperature, high pressure oil producing wells. Heron is in UKCS block 22/30a and has a Triassic reservoir. Skua is an extension of the Marnock Field. They are subsea tiebacks to the CPF. All three fields are operated by

Shell in partnership with Esso

.

Helicopter crash

On 18 February 2009, a Super Puma Helicopter ditched in the sea whilst approaching one of the ETAP installations. All 18 passengers and crew were rescued. Bernard Looney, a President of BP's North Sea business based in Aberdeen, credited their Project Jigsaw with the safe, quick and efficient recovery of the 16 passengers and 2 crew. Project Jigsaw uses locator beacons on all helicopters, standby vessels and fast rescue craft, connected to a computerised system located in Aberdeen. This way locations of all rescue craft and their response time are always known to staff in the BP control centre. In addition all staff are supplied with wristwatch personal locator beacons (WWPLB) that automatically activate when immersed in water.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 2015-07-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

BP Asset Portfolio (pdf)

[decc.gov.uk-1] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 2015-07-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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