Shell continue investing in North Sea gas hub

In a press release, Shell UK and its partners, Esso Exploration and Production UK and Acro British have announced a final investment deal for a Shearwater gas infrastructure hub located in the central North Sea. This investment will be Shell’s seventh for the UK North Sea in 2018.

The new investment will see the Shearwater platform modified and a 23 mile pipeline installed.

The pipeline will run Fulmar Gas Line from Shearwater and will enable wet gas to flow to the Shell Gas and Associated Liquids (SEGAL) pipeline. Currently, dry gas already flows via the Shearwater Elgin Area Line (SEAL) pipeline to the east coast of England, Bacton.

The gas is to first be processed at the St Fergus plant in Scotland before its transmission of natural gas liquids to the Fife Natural Gas Liquids plant and Fife Ethylene plant at Mossmorran. There, the gases will be separated and exported to costumers.

Steve Phimister, Shell’s Vice President for Upstream in the UK said, “This is part of our strategy to grow our gas production from around the Shearwater platform and it underscores Shell’s commitment to maximising the economic recovery of oil and gas from the North Sea.”

He continued, “Through close collaboration with our partners and suppliers, we have been able to reduce costs, simplify the production process and create an important production hub at Shearwater. Fifty years after Shell began working in the North Sea, we continue to invest in projects to deliver more gas to UK consumers for years to come.”