Chevron starts first gas at UK Alder field; 41 yrs after discovery

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND: Chevron North Sea Limited, a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation has started first gas production at UK Alder field in the Central North Sea, 41 years after discovery.

Found in 1975, Alder is a high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) gas condensate field, with a solitary subsea very much tied back, through a 28-kilometer pipeline, to the current ConocoPhillips-operated Britannia Platform, in which Chevron holds a 32.38 percent non-operated working interest. The project has a planned design capacity of 110 million cubic feet of natural gas and 14,000 barrels of condensate per day. Production from the HPHT Alder Field is expected to increase over the coming months.

More than 70 percent of the Alder improvement work was executed by UK-based organizations, giving noteworthy investment to the UK store network. The agreements upheld a few hundred occupations over a scope of UK areas including Aberdeen, Invergordon, Leeds and Newcastle.

The Alder progress has been empowered through the utilisation of innovative subsea technologies designed to meet the temperature and pressure challenges of Alder. Key technologies have included a number of firsts for Chevron in the North Sea, including a vertical mono-bore subsea tree system; a subsea high integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS); and a specially designed corrosion monitoring system to measure the real-time condition of the production pipeline.

"First gas at Alder signifies an important breakthrough for Chevron and high points our commitment to investing and developing resources in the UK. This project was underpinned by strong alliance between Chevron and ConocoPhillips. This supports our aim of helping maximise the economic recovery of the UK,” said Greta Lydecker, managing director, Chevron Upstream Europe.

"Chevron's use of innovative subsea technologies and the UK's accomplished supply chain is firmly aligned to the Maximizing Economic Recovery Strategy, including saves and developing the life of a current resource," added Andy Samuel, CEO at The Oil and Gas Authority.

Read More: Chevron starts first gas at UK Alder field; 41 yrs after discovery