WorleyParsons has confirmed it has been awarded the EPC contract on CNOOC’s Buzzard Phase-2 development in the UK North Sea.

The contract was awarded by CNOOC’s wholly-owned subsidiary Nexen Petroleum, which operates the Buzzard, and will see WorleyParsons provide engineering, procurement and construction services for the topsides module for the field.

This includes the module fabrication, brownfield scopes, module landing preparation and the associated tie ins, the topsides module hook-up, pre-commissioning and commissioning of the integrated package.

The contract will be carried out by WorleyParsons’ integrated solutions office in Aberdeen, with the company also confirming earlier reports by Upstream its Rosenberg WorleyParsons facility in Norway will fabricate the topside module.

Nexen also awarded COSL Drilling Europe a contract earlier this week which will see it supply ts semi-submersible rig COSL Pioneer to carry out development drilling.

The second phase of development at Buzzard is focused on a new subsea development of the northern area of the field, about five kilometres north-east of the field’s existing four fixed platforms.

The project will comprise new drilling and a combined production and water injection subsea manifold that will be tied back to the existing complex.

The new module will process and export production fluids will be added to the main Buzzard production — or “P” — platform.

First oil from the new development is expected in the first quarter of 2021.