RWE Dea UK Announces Successful Installation of Breagh Alpha Platform

RWE Dea UK announced today that the Breagh Alpha platform has been successfully installed in the North Sea. The 2,000 tonnes jacket with eight piles weighing a total of another 2,000 tonnes was installed by Heerema Marine Contractor’s heavy lift vessel (HLV) Thialf in 62m of water some 100 km off Teesside.

This was then followed by the successful lift and setting of the 1,400 tonnes integrated deck topsides. All work was completed safely and without incident.

“The installation of the Breagh platform marks another significant milestone for the Breagh field development following on from the successful installation of the pipelines to shore earlier in the year. This keeps the Breagh project on track for first gas in mid-2012”, said Ralf to Baben, Chief Operating Officer of RWE Dea AG.

René Pawel, RWE Dea UK’s Managing Director, commented “I am very pleased with the successful and safe installation of the platform. Our focus will now switch to preparations for drilling and completion of the onshore works”.

The Breagh field is located in UKCS blocks 42/12a and 42/13a of the southern North Sea in 62 metres water depth, approximately 100 kilometres east of Teesside. The field is being developed in two phases. Phase 1 entails gas to be exported via the 20″ pipeline from the Breagh Alpha platform to Coatham Sands, Redcar on the UK mainland, and a 10 kilometre onshore pipeline for processing at the Teesside Gas Processing Plant (TGPP) at Seal Sands. The TGPP site is owned by Teesside Gas & Liquids Processing, and after processing at the TGPP, the gas will enter the UK National Transmission System. Phase 2, expected to receive FDP approval in early 2012, is expected to include additional wells in the east of the field drilled from a Breagh Bravo platform tied back to Alpha.

Breagh is the biggest field development project under the operatorship of RWE Dea in the United Kingdom. RWE Dea holds 70% interest in the Breagh gas field as operator. The Breagh field is one of the largest natural gas discoveries under development in the UK Southern North Sea. The gas field is a conventional carboniferous reservoir and the expected reserves will make a significant contribution to the growth of RWE Dea’s gas production. Further upside potential is expected in the surrounding exploration blocks.

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Source: RWE Dea, October, 24.  2011