Three Fields To Export Oil To Flotta Terminal Until End Of Life

The Golden Eagle, Piper, and Claymore field owners have executed new agreements reaffirming their commitment to export produced oil to the Flotta Terminal until the end of field life in the 2030s.

Repsol Sinopec Resources UK Limited, the operator of the Flotta Terminal, said that this commitment to support the longevity of the terminal underpinned a variety of growth opportunities in the wider area, including renewed drilling and several third-party tiebacks.

All field owners have recently completed successful drilling programs to increase production volumes and are actively engaged with several third parties that are considering the use of the offshore facilities.

Repsol Sinopec, along with its partners, is also exploring the opportunity to develop an industrial-scale hydrogen hub on the island of Flotta. It would utilize a repurposed area of the existing terminal to create a green hydrogen hub powered by offshore wind projects in the seas to the west of Orkney, coexisting with oil and gas operations for years.

“The Flotta Terminal has been in operation since 1976 and has made a significant contribution to Orkney’s economy and communities for more than 40 years. The renewed commitment from the Golden Eagle, Piper, and Claymore field owners highlights confidence in the Flotta Terminal and wider Flotta Catchment Area,” José Luis Muñoz, Repsol Sinopec’s CEO, said.

“It is our objective to continue to produce and develop existing and new field reserves in line with the North Sea Transition Authority’s MER strategy and with Net Zero ambitions front and center of our minds,” he added.

Repsol Sinopec Resources UK Limited is also the operator of the Piper and Claymore fields. And both produce and process oil and condensate for onward transmission to the Flotta Terminal.

The Piper 'B' platform is an eight-legged fixed steel jacket supported platform which was installed in 1992 and started production in February 1993. The platform processes production oil, NGL, and dry gas from the Piper and Tweedsmuir reservoirs.

The Claymore complex contains two fixed steel bridge-linked platforms, the Claymore Production Platform and Claymore Accommodation Platform. The production platform sits on a conventional eight-legged steel jacket and provides process and drilling facilities, and the accommodation platform provides accommodation and utilities for staff and the helideck.

The Claymore Production Platform was installed in 1976 with the first production from the Claymore field starting in November 1977 and the Claymore Accommodation Platform was installed in 1995. Additionally, the Scapa field was developed as a subsea tie-back to the Claymore platform in 1982.

The third field in question was the CNOOC-operated Golden Eagle. It also transports fluids to the Flotta Terminal since 2012. It is in the Flotta Catchment Area some 70 miles northeast of Aberdeen. The nearby Peregrine field and Solitaire field also form part of the Golden Eagle Area Development.

Golden Eagle is the only field whose operators signed an agreement with the Flotta Terminal in which Repsol Sinopec Resources UK Limited has no stake.

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