Engie E&P UK, the operator of the £1.3bn Cygnus development, has reported first gas export from the satellite wellhead platform Cygnus Bravo located in the UK North Sea.
The Engie subsidiary said that the first gas from the unmanned satellite wellhead platform was exported to Cygnus Alpha, 7km away from Cygnus Bravo in the south east direction.
At Cygnus Alpha, the gas is processed and is exported to the Esmond Transmission System through a 55km link before eventually reaching the Bacton gas terminal in Norfolk.
Engie E&P CEO Maria Moraeus Hanssen said: “This is a major milestone for the Cygnus development. It is a very successful achievement; well controlled and safely delivered."
Hanssen added that gas from Cygnus Bravo will have a considerable contribution in extending the plateau production that Cygnus Alpha has been recording for the last eight months.
Located 150km off the coast of Lincolnshire, the Cygnus gas field in water depths of under 25m comprises four platforms and two drilling centers.
Cygnus Alpha features three bridge linked platforms, which include a wellhead platform having 10 drilling slots, a processing and utilities unit, and a quarters platform with a central control room. The second drilling center is the Cygnus Bravo, which has 10 well slots.
The first gas at Cygnus Bravo was delivered from well B5 in one of its 10 well slots, stated Engie E&P. Three more wells at the satellite wellhead platform are likely to come online this month, which would take the total number of available wells to five in next year after the completion of well B1 drilling.
Engie E&P UK holds 38.75% stake, while Centrica and Bayerngas hold 48.75% and 12.5% stakes respectively in the Cygnus gas field.
Image: Cygnus Bravo platform with the Seafox7 rig. Photo: courtesy of ENGIE E&P.