Tern oilfield
Encyclopedia
The Tern oilfield is an oilfield situated 169 kilometres (105 mi) north east of Lerwick
, Shetland Islands
, Scotland
, in block numbers 210/25a.
and licensed by Shell/Esso
. On 7 July 2008, it was purchased by TAQA Bratani, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company
, along with the Eider, Cormorant North
, South Cormorant
, Kestrel and Pelican fields and related sub-sea satellite fields.
Structurally, it is a triangular uplifted block of the Brent Group bounded by NNW-SSE and NNE-SSW trending faults and sealed by overlying Kimmeridge Clay
(the dominant source rock
, with debated contributions from the much deeper Old Red Sandstone
) and Shetland Group mudstone
s.
via the North Cormorant and Cormorant Alpha platforms by the Brent System
pipeline.
The Hudson Field which is located in 210/24, started producing over the platform in 1993 after first having been tied back to an FPSO
. The most recent addition to the Tern platform was the Kestrel Field, located in 211/21a, this small subsea tieback started production in 2001.
Lerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
, Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in block numbers 210/25a.
History
The Tern field was discovered in April 1975 in a water depth of 167 metres (547.9 ft). It started production in 1989. Until July 2008, the oilfield was operated by Royal Dutch ShellRoyal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
and licensed by Shell/Esso
Esso
Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
. On 7 July 2008, it was purchased by TAQA Bratani, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company
Abu Dhabi National Energy Company
The Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, PJSC is a government controlled energy holding company of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates....
, along with the Eider, Cormorant North
Cormorant oilfield
The Cormorant oilfield is located north east of Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland, in block number 211/26a. It was discovered in September 1972 at a depth of . Estimated recovery is of oil. The oil reservoir is located at a depth of .-Ownership:...
, South Cormorant
Cormorant oilfield
The Cormorant oilfield is located north east of Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland, in block number 211/26a. It was discovered in September 1972 at a depth of . Estimated recovery is of oil. The oil reservoir is located at a depth of .-Ownership:...
, Kestrel and Pelican fields and related sub-sea satellite fields.
Reserves and geology
Estimated recovery of Tern oilfield is 175 Moilbbl of oil.Structurally, it is a triangular uplifted block of the Brent Group bounded by NNW-SSE and NNE-SSW trending faults and sealed by overlying Kimmeridge Clay
Kimmeridge Clay
The Kimmeridge Clay Formation is a sedimentary deposit of fossiliferous marine clay which is of Jurassic age. It occurs in Europe.Kimmeridge Clay is arguably the most economically important unit of rocks in the whole of Europe, being the major source rock for oil fields in the North Sea hydrocarbon...
(the dominant source rock
Source rock
In petroleum geology, source rock refers to rocks from which hydrocarbons have been generated or are capable of being generated. They form one of the necessary elements of a working petroleum system. They are organic-rich sediments that may have been deposited in a variety of environments including...
, with debated contributions from the much deeper Old Red Sandstone
Old Red Sandstone
The Old Red Sandstone is a British rock formation of considerable importance to early paleontology. For convenience the short version of the term, 'ORS' is often used in literature on the subject.-Sedimentology:...
) and Shetland Group mudstone
Mudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
s.
Tern oil platform
The Tern oil platform is a steel jacket production and drilling platform. As well as processing the fluids from the Tern reservoir, the platform also processes fluids from the Hudson and Kestrel fields. Once processed, the oil is co-mingled and exported to Sullom Voe TerminalSullom Voe Terminal
The Sullom Voe Terminal is an oil and liquefied gas terminal at Sullom Voe in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. It handles production from oilfields in the North Sea and East Shetland Basin...
via the North Cormorant and Cormorant Alpha platforms by the Brent System
Brent System
The Brent System pipeline transports oil from the North Sea oilfields via Cormorant Alpha to the Sullom Voe Terminal in Shetland, Scotland. Oil is transported from 20 oilfields, including:* Thistle* Murchison* Hutton* North West Hutton* Dunlin...
pipeline.
The Hudson Field which is located in 210/24, started producing over the platform in 1993 after first having been tied back to an FPSO
Floating Production Storage and Offloading
A floating production, storage and offloading unit is a floating vessel used by the offshore industry for the processing of hydrocarbons and for storage of oil. A FPSO vessel is designed to receive hydrocarbons produced from nearby platforms or subsea template, process them, and store oil until it...
. The most recent addition to the Tern platform was the Kestrel Field, located in 211/21a, this small subsea tieback started production in 2001.
See also
- Energy policy of the United KingdomEnergy policy of the United KingdomThe current energy policy of the United Kingdom is set out in the Energy White Paper of May 2007 and Low Carbon Transition Plan of July 2009, building on previous work including the 2003 Energy White Paper and the Energy Review Report in 2006...
- Energy use and conservation in the United KingdomEnergy use and conservation in the United KingdomEnergy use in the United Kingdom stood at 3,894.6 kilogrammes of oil equivalent per capita in 2005 compared to a world average of 1,778.0. In 2008, total energy consumed was 9.85 exajoules - around 2% of the estimated 474 EJ worldwide total...