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ECONOMIC REPORT 2015
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Golden Eagle Area Development
Summary
As the UK offshore oil and gas industry focuses on
delivering significant and sustained improvements
in cost management in conjunction with MER UK,
the Golden Eagle Area Development is an excellent
example of what is still possible in a recognised
mature basin.
The Nexen-operated Golden Eagle is one of the
biggest developments on the UKCS for several years.
Production of first oil in late 2014 was accomplished
ahead of schedule and under budget. Just as important,
the project’s safety record was truly a best-in-class
performance. At the time of first production, on
30 October 2014, the project team had successfully
executed 18 million man-hours without a lost time
incident (LTI).
These achievements represent the efforts of a wide
range of suppliers and contractors from the UK and
global supply chain, as well as the joint venture partners
in the project – Maersk, Suncor, EOG and One BV.
Around two-thirds of the £2.3 billion investment in
Golden Eagle directly benefited the UK supply chain
and the development phase supported around 2,500
jobs. Around 400 operational roles have been created
to safely and reliably manage production at Golden
Eagle, which has an expected production life of at
least 18 years. Peak oil production is anticipated at
70,000 boepd.
From Discovery to Development
The Golden Eagle Area Development is located
approximately 70 kilometres north east of Aberdeen,
where water depths typically range between 89 and
139 metres. As with all offshore oil and gas activity,
safety was the primary priority throughout the
8. Case Studies
Location of the Golden Eagle platform, 70 kilometres north east of Aberdeen
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