Amethyst gasfield
Encyclopedia
Amethyst is a natural gas field
in the Southern North Sea
, about 30 miles (48.3 km) east of the Yorkshire
coast. The gas lies in a Permian
sandstone reservoir around 2700 metres (8,858.3 ft) below the seabed. The gasfield is operated by BP
.
, British Gas
, ARCO
, Murphy Oil
, Amerada Hess, and FINA
. In 1997, BP acquired the interest of Enterprise Oil and became the largest stakeholder of the field. As a result of restructuring and several transactions the field became hold by BP (59.5%), BG
(24.15%), Centrica
(8.95%), and Murphy Oil (7.4%). In December 2009, BP and BG agreed an assets swap by which BP took over BG's interest in the field.
In September 2007, three crew members of the emergency response and rescue vessel Viking Islay, operated by Vroon Offshore Services, were killed during a support operation on the Amethyst gasfield.
. The A1D platform and the A2D platform were built in 1989 by UiE Scotland
in Glasgow
, and have 5 and 6 wells respectively in Amethyst East. B1D and C1D were built in the following two years and currently produce from 4 and 7 wells in Amethyst East and Amethyst West respectively. C1D is connected to A1D and B1D is connected to A2D. All Amethyst daily operation and processing is carried out onshore. Personnel only travel to the platforms themselves for maintenance and well work
. Produced gas is transported to the Easington Gas Terminal
and sold to Électricité de France
.
Natural gas field
Oil and natural gas are produced by the same geological process according fossil fuel suggestion: anaerobic decay of organic matter deep under the Earth's surface. As a consequence, oil and natural gas are often found together...
in the Southern North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, about 30 miles (48.3 km) east of the Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
coast. The gas lies in a Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
sandstone reservoir around 2700 metres (8,858.3 ft) below the seabed. The gasfield is operated by BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
.
History
The gasfield was discovered in 1972 and it was named after HMS Amethyst. Between 1972 and 1985 a number of appraisal wells were drilled. The field development started in 1988 and the first gas was produced in 1991. Originally, the field was owned by BP, Enterprise OilEnterprise Oil
Enterprise Oil was a major British independent exploration and production company based in Europe, with core areas of activity in Britain and Ireland, mainland Europe, Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico...
, British Gas
British Gas plc
British Gas plc was formerly the monopoly gas supplier and is a private sector in the United Kingdom.- History :In the early 1900s the gas market in the United Kingdom was mainly run by county councils and small private firms...
, ARCO
ARCO
Atlantic Richfield Company is an oil company with operations in the United States as well as in Indonesia, the North Sea, and the South China Sea. It has more than 1,300 gas stations in the western part of the United States. ARCO was originally formed by the merger of East Coast-based Atlantic...
, Murphy Oil
Murphy Oil
Murphy Oil Corporation is an international oil and gas company, founded in 1944 as C.H. Murphy & Co by Charle H Murphy Sr., that conducts business through various operating subsidiaries. Murphy produces oil and/or natural gas in the United States, Canada, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and Republic...
, Amerada Hess, and FINA
Petrofina
Petrofina was a Belgian oil company which merged with Total in 1999 to form TotalFina, but the name has now been changed back to Total after another merger...
. In 1997, BP acquired the interest of Enterprise Oil and became the largest stakeholder of the field. As a result of restructuring and several transactions the field became hold by BP (59.5%), BG
BG Group
BG Group plc is a global oil and gas company headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom. It has operations in 25 countries across Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America and South America and produces around 680,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. It has a major Liquefied Natural Gas ...
(24.15%), Centrica
Centrica
Centrica plc is a multinational utility company, based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America. Centrica is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the UK, and one of the largest suppliers of electricity, operating under the trading names "Scottish Gas" in...
(8.95%), and Murphy Oil (7.4%). In December 2009, BP and BG agreed an assets swap by which BP took over BG's interest in the field.
In September 2007, three crew members of the emergency response and rescue vessel Viking Islay, operated by Vroon Offshore Services, were killed during a support operation on the Amethyst gasfield.
Production
Production is performed using four small unmanned steel satellite wellhead platformsOil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
. The A1D platform and the A2D platform were built in 1989 by UiE Scotland
Bouygues
Bouygues S.A. is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by Francis Bouygues and since 1989 has been led by his son Martin...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and have 5 and 6 wells respectively in Amethyst East. B1D and C1D were built in the following two years and currently produce from 4 and 7 wells in Amethyst East and Amethyst West respectively. C1D is connected to A1D and B1D is connected to A2D. All Amethyst daily operation and processing is carried out onshore. Personnel only travel to the platforms themselves for maintenance and well work
Well intervention
A well intervention, or 'well work', is any operation carried out on an oil or gas well during, or at the end of its productive life, that alters the state of the well and or well geometry, provides well diagnostics or manages the production of the well....
. Produced gas is transported to the Easington Gas Terminal
Easington Gas Terminal
The Easington Gas Terminal is one of three main gas terminals in the UK, and is situated on the North Sea coast at Easington, East Riding of Yorkshire and Dimlington. The other two main gas terminals are at St Fergus, Aberdeenshire and Bacton, Norfolk. The whole site consists of three plants: two...
and sold to Électricité de France
Électricité de France
Électricité de France S.A. is the second largest French utility company. Headquartered in Paris, France, with €65.2 billion in revenues in 2010, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of 120,000+ megawatts of generation capacity in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.EDF is one of...
.