Aberdeen oil and gas services firm finalises agreement with Technip

An Aberdeen floating production solutions firm has agreed a new venture with a global leader in project management, engineering and construction, to develop marginal fields in the North Sea.

Amplus Energy Services, which is headquartered in the city’s Grandholm area, has struck a deal with Technip in the UK to work together to contribute to the development of untapped oil reserves.

With much of the remaining reserves inaccessible using existing infrastructure, the two firms have joined forces using their individual expertise to provide an integrated and fit for purpose solution for challenging field developments.

There is an estimated 24 billion bbls of oil equivalent (boe) still to be developed and produced in the UKCS and Sir Ian Wood’s report last year outlined a requirement for collaboration to maximise recovery of the country’s oil and gas resources.

The collaboration between Technip in the UK and Amplus is in line with the recommendations of the report and will help streamline costs, allowing companies to safely tap into more challenging reserves.

Technip in the UK will bring its extensive project management, engineering and market leading products to the relationship, developing cost-efficient subsea infrastructure, while Amplus has developed an innovative dynamically positioned (DP) versatile production unit (VPU).

The Amplus VPU utilises proven FSPO (floating, production, storage and offloading) and DP vessel technology. The vessel has been specifically designed to meet the rigorous safety and environmental conditions of the North Sea and is also suitable for projects in other areas of the world such as West Africa, Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and South East Asia.

The VPU has evolved from proven DP FPSO technology, from a major oil and gas operator, and the Dis-connectable Turret System (DTS) is field proven in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Australia. It boasts 200 000 bbls of oil storage capacity and a NOV designed topsides processing system.

Launched in 2008, Amplus has an experienced management team with over 100 years combined knowledge of the oil and gas industry.

With a team of four office based staff and up to 25 contractors, the company has a vast understanding of field development life cycle and is focussed on developing innovative solutions to access uneconomic or stranded reserves.

Amplus managing director, Ian Herd, said: “We have already invested more than US$5 million in the development of our VPU and it has been specifically designed for small/medium sized fields or as an early production system on larger fields. Working alongside such a global leader as Technip to support the subsea infrastructure brings immense benefits to Amplus and offers the industry a strong collaboration to get these smaller fields developed. Our VPU design coupled with Technip’s vast worldwide expertise in subsea infrastructure is a winning combination offering a strong, reliable and cost effective option for the industry.”

Bill Morrice, managing director of Technip in the UK, is delighted to be joining forces with Amplus.

He said: “With the industry facing uncertain times, we are constantly striving to provide our clients with innovative technologies as well as smart and cost-effective solutions to meet the world’s energy challenges.

“This collaboration with Amplus is exciting and is a positive news story for the industry as a whole, and one which we hope will open new avenues for challenging field developments.”

Amplus and Technip in the UK are already jointly evaluating two potential projects in the West of Shetland and the Central North Sea.

In March this year the Oil & Gas Technology Leadership Board revealed that its three priorities for 2015 were technologies to improve recovery from small discoveries, innovations in well construction and advances in inspection methods to manage the integrity of ageing facilities.

Collaborations such as the one between Amplus and Technip in the UK will undoubtedly contribute to a productive and sustainable long-term future for the UKCS, whilst providing a cost effective development solution to deliver challenging projects on budget and on schedule.

Adapted from a press release by David Bizley

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/08122015/aberdeen-oil-and-gas-services-firm-finalises-agreement-with-technip/