Construction starts on Cygnus gas development

GDF Suez E&P UK and partners Centrica Energy and Bayerngas recently celebrated the ceremonial first cut of steel for the  £1.4 billion Cygnus gas field project at Heerema Fabrication Group’s Hartlepool yard in North East England.

Mr Stuart Drummond, Mayor of Hartlepool, performed the first cut of the steel, which will be used to build the 1600 t Cygnus Alpha Wellhead Platform, the first of four platforms for the Cygnus field - the largest gas discovery in the Southern North Sea in the last 25 years.

After project sanction in August 2012, GDF Suez E&P UK placed a frame contract with Heerema Fabrication Group’s Hartlepool yard with the intent to place future call-off orders for the fabrication and commissioning of three of the four topsides and a compression module for the Cygnus development. The project is expected to create more than 1 million man hours of fabrication and around 450 people working on Heerema’s Hartlepool site for the project during 2014

The project intends to maximise UK-based company content, creating 4000 direct and indirect jobs during the construction phase.

Jean-Claude Perdigues, Managing Director, GDF Suez E&P UK said: “Today’s ceremony marks a major milestone in the flagship Cygnus project which is bringing substantial jobs and investment to the UK and notably to the Hartlepool area. Construction work has started swiftly and it is a privilege to witness the cutting of first steel for the Cygnus development, which is making such a positive contribution to the UK energy industry and wider economy.”

The Cygnus Partnership is led by operator GDF SUEZ E&P UK Ltd (38.75%) with partners Centrica (48.75%) and Bayerngas (12.5%).

Cygnus is located in the Southern North Sea, 150 km off the coast of Lincolnshire. It has gross 2P reserves of approximately 18 billion cubic metres. First gas is expected in late 2015.

The detailed development concept for the field consists of two drilling centres, four platforms and initially ten development wells. The planned export route is through the ETS pipeline system to the Bacton gas terminal in North Norfolk.

The total expected future scope for the Heerema Fabrication Group’s Hartlepool yard will be approximately 10 500 t of fabrication work comprising: 3900 t Process & Utilities (PU) module, two bridges of 200 t and 250 t, a 250 t flare tower, a 1600 t wellhead module and a 1500 t compression module (which will be installed onto the PU module) all destined for the Cygnus alpha three bridge-linked complex. Fabrication work of the remote Cygnus Bravo development will consist of the 2800 t wellhead module.

Initial contracts worth £375 million were signed in August 2012 to start the project. The majority of this (£337m) is being invested directly in the UK, generating an initial 1200 jobs.

Adapted from press release by Callum O'Reilly

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/10122012/gdf_suez_celebrates_steel_cut_cygnus_project/