Abu Dhabi: Cormorant Alpha, the North Sea oil production platform, is back on stream and already helping Taqa to break production records.
Cormorant Alpha handles 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil production from Taqa’s South Cormorant field, but is also the conduit for the Brent System Pipeline, which carries approximately 10 per cent of the UK’s total oil production.
Since coming back from several months of shut-down, Taqa’s production in the UK has hit 70,000 barrels a day, a new record.
“That Cormorant Alpha is back up and running is a tribute to the expertise and teamwork of our North Sea workforce,” said Peter Jones, who took over as managing director of Taqa’s UK business in July. “The way that the business handled the issues on Cormorant Alpha earned it a great deal of respect across the industry. It was extremely open, honest and professional. Within the industry and beyond, it was recognised that this is the way we need to work.”
Taqa acquired its UK North Sea platforms – Cormorant Alpha, North Cormorant, Eider and Tern – in 2008, and three years later began a long-term inspection, repair and maintenance programme. Taqa has since invested more than £300 million (Dh1.79 billion) in maintenance and upgrades across the platforms.
In January and March of this year there were two hydrocarbon releases within a leg of the Cormorant Alpha platform. There was no leak into the environment, but Taqa decided to close the platform while repairs were carried out.
Jones said: “Cormorant Alpha had been identified as a site for inspection before the incident, and it happened while we were starting the process. It is a critical piece of infrastructure for UK energy supply and this planned programme of work will help extend its original design life.”
“If we achieve that, we will have added significant value to Taqa to sustain our operations out past 2025.”
