IOG plc said that production at Blythe and Elgood has been shut in over safety concerns in the drainage system at Bacton gas terminal’s condensate stabilisation unit (CSU).
SBRF
The company added that over the past month, Blythe and Elgood hydrocarbon liquids (condensate) flowing into the Saturn Banks reception facilities (SBRF) slugcatcher had fluctuated considerably, reaching peak levels of up to 1,850bbl/d.
The SBRF, which lies next to the main Perenco Bacton terminal, is owned by IOG and CalEnergy Resources Ltd and operated by Perenco (UK) Ltd (PUK).
All liquids streams coming into Perenco Bacton, including Saturn Banks liquids, are processed through the terminal’s CSU.
DEFICIENCY
“In the past week, a PUK operational risk assessment has identified a drainage system deficiency in the CSU’s two recycle compressors, which has been highlighted by the increased Saturn Banks liquid rates,” said IOG in a statement.
“PUK has concluded that this must be addressed before any further Saturn Banks liquids can be processed and has limited the SBRF slugcatcher to a 15% maximum liquid level.
“Consequently, after progressive reduction in flow rates to manage these constraints, PUK has now enforced a full shut-in of Blythe and Elgood production to prevent further liquids entering the slugcatcher.
“PUK has been developing a modification to their CSU compressor drainage system to resolve the issue.”
SAFETY REVIEW
Subject to a safety review today (23 May), IOG expects one compressor to be modified within approximately one week, enabling limited initial resumption of Saturn Banks production (projected to be c.30 mmscf/d of gas).
Modification of the second compressor is expected to take a further week, after which Saturn Banks production will be gradually restored to normal levels over the following weeks.
Average aggregate Saturn Banks gas production over the 30 days prior to 20 May was 41 mmscf/d, achieving uptime of 74% at Blythe and 78% at Elgood.
PRIORITY
Chief executive Andrew Hockey said that although the short-term shut-in was a very frustrating interruption, maintaining the highest safety standards was the first priority.
“We are in close dialogue with Perenco at both management and technical levels to ensure the modification to their plant is rapidly expedited.”