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ECONOMIC REPORT 2015
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The safe transfer of the decks from Dubai to the North
Sea required a 30-day voyage and managing security
issues in and around the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula,
including the threat of piracy. This section of the
journey was preceded with a high-degree of planning,
collaboration and communication with partners in the
maritime industry, security and the military.
In fact, this phase of the development saw a new world
record set. The safe delivery of the 13,191.98 tonnes of
PUQ deck was officially recognised by Guinness World
Records as the heaviest load moved by self-propelled
modular trailers (SPMTs). An official Guinness World
Record certificate was presented to Lamprell at a
ceremony in April 2014.
Taking Shape
Ahead of the various decks and platform modules
arriving, work took place in 2013 to install two sets
of jackets, both weighing around 6,000 tonnes. The
jackets, piled securely in the seabed, are as tall as the
London Eye and were manufactured by Heerema in
Holland. The subsea installation campaign with Technip
also kicked off in 2013 with installation of infield and oil
and gas export pipeline routes.
The PUQ deck was installed in May 2014, enabling the
project to move into the final phase of development and
start the countdown to first production. This marked a
major transition point. The development project team
now had to arrange to hand over responsibility for the
asset to the operations team, which would manage the
platform once production commenced.
Golden Eagle Takes Flight
Withthefinalfacilitieshook-upandoffshorecommissioning
completed over the summer of 2014, Nexen began to
import gas to the platform in mid-October to prepare for
first oil production. First oil arrived on 30 October – 47 days
ahead of schedule and under budget.
Following first oil, the Nexen team focused on ensuring
a safe and reliable ramp up to full production in 2015
with excellent progress made towards plateau rates of
70,000 boepd in 2015. A major part of this work includes
enabling production from the Solitaire field, located to
the north east of the Golden Eagle platform.
Oil produced from Golden Eagle enters the Flotta
pipeline system at Talisman’s Claymore platform and
more than doubles the crude throughput at the Flotta
terminal in Orkney. The introduction of Golden Eagle
liquids will significantly improve the quality of Flotta
Blend, meriting a new name – Flotta Gold.
Golden Eagle’s production, utilities and quarters deck
Looking Forward
With the UK offshore oil and gas industry now focused
on the shared agenda of MER UK, the Golden Eagle Area
Development has the ability to provide the UKCS with a
new hub for potential future oil and gas finds.
Ray Riddoch, Nexen’s UK managing director, says:
“Golden Eagle adds significant production volumes to
our North Sea business today and is a potential hub for
future discoveries.
“More fundamentally, our project team has proved that
North Sea mega-projects such as Golden Eagle can still
be done and delivered safely and efficiently. We look
forward to applying the lessons we’ve learned from
Golden Eagle to future Nexen projects in the North Sea
and elsewhere.”
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