UK-based oil firm Spirit Energy is set to decommission another oil field in the UK North Sea.
Just days after receiving approval for the decommissioning plan for its Ensign field, Spirit Energy said Monday it would file a decommissioning program for its Chestnut field in the Central North Sea. The decom plan comes more than a decade after the Chestnut was first expected to be shut in.
"Thanks to continued investment from operator Spirit Energy and partner Dana Petroleum, additional wells and class-leading production efficiency on the Hummingbird Spirit Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel which sits on Chestnut, the field has produced almost quadruple the initial reserve estimates. Now, Spirit Energy and the FPSO owner Teekay have started the first stages of preparing to decommission the field," Spirit Energy said Monday.
Chestnut first came on stream in 2008 with an expected two-year production life. It is still producing oil via three wells, the last of which was drilled in 2020. The field, nearly 200km east of Aberdeen, has now produced more than 27 million barrels of oil, having initially been expected to yield around 7 million barrels.
Under the proposed decommissioning plans, the FPSO will be removed and Teekay will assess potential reuse options or ultimately recycle the vessel in an environmentally safe and responsible manner in accordance with applicable UK/EU regulations.
Spirit Energy said the risers would be flushed, cleaned, and taken back to shore.
According to the oil company, a subsidiary of Centrica, the start date for the offshore campaign is dependent on the final cessation of production from the field.