Amec said yesterday it had been selected by Apache North Sea to undertake project management, engineering and procurement for the design and implementation of modifications to the Forties Alpha platform.
The modifications – under a contract thought to be worth about £10million – will allow the connection of Apache’s new bridge-linked satellite platform to the Forties Alpha platform in the central North Sea.
The two-year contract, which will lead to the addition of about 40 staff in Aberdeen to its 3,000 in Europe and west Africa, continues the relationship between Apache and Amec.
Over five years, the engineering and project-management group’s has provided modification services including electrical infrastructure switchboard upgrades, a deep gas-lift project and field well completions across Apache’s Forties platforms. John Pearson, managing director of Amec’s Europe and west Africa business, said: “The North Sea remains an important region for UK energy production and for Amec.”
Mark Richardson, project director for Apache North Sea, said: “The nature and complexity of delivering the modifications and interfaces from the satellite platform to Forties Alpha required a contractor with the right resources, in the right place, ready to act immediately.
“Amec’s track record, knowledge and experience on Forties made it the right choice to take on the challenge of these works.”
As reported on Tuesday, Apache has awarded a £150million contract to build the new satellite platform to Offshore Group Newcastle. It will be fabricated at OGN’s Wallsend yard, with a float-out scheduled for July 2012 and final commissioning and handover in September/October that year.
Forties, which Apache bought from BP in 2003, has an estimated 173million barrels of oil equivalent of reserves remaining.