Aberdeen is getting a jobs boost after Wood Group Kenny (WGK) landed a major contract with oil giant BP.
WGK is to provide engineering design and project management services for the subsea, umbilical, riser and flowline (surf) infrastructure for the Quad 204 redevelopment project west of Shetland.
BP announced a £3billion redevelopment project in July for Quad 204, which takes in the Schiehallion and Loyal fields.
Schiehallion and Loyal have been responsible for output of nearly 400million barrels of oil since production started in 1998 and an estimated 450million barrels remain.
BP said the new investment would extend production life to 2035 and possibly later.
WGK is responsible for the design of £750million worth of subsea, pipeline and riser infrastructure for the project.
The value of the work for WGK is undisclosed, but it is understood to run into tens of millions of pounds.
WGK said the dedicated engineering team on the project, which is based in Aberdeen, is already 50 strong and will expand to 75 in the near future.
Mike Ogden, WGK’s project manager for Quad 204, said: “This project presents significant technical challenges integrating new infrastructure within an existing brownfield development.
“Specific issues include proving the remaining or extended design life of existing systems, challenging metocean conditions and the inclusion of 21 new risers, 15 new flowlines, a range of structures, a redesigned umbilical distribution and control system and 25 new wells into a restricted area already containing 52 wells.
“WGK are responsible for engineering the entire surf system from the trees to the connections within the new FPSO (floating production vessel) and supporting BP through the delivery, testing, installation and commissioning of these systems.”
Andrew Train, BP’s project director for offshore activities, said: “The recent sanction of the Quad 204 project represents a very significant investment for BP and its partners in the North Sea.
“While the industry at large has been aware of the replacement FPSO, the scale and complexity of redevelopment associated with the subsea system has gone relatively unnoticed. In many ways it is likely that redevelopment of the subsea system will be larger than the original development scheme.
“To manage a project of this scale and complexity and attract the best talent in the industry we have co-located a growing BP and Wood Group Kenny team in a project office in the centre of Aberdeen. This office will be a hub of activity allowing detailed design work to be progressed by Wood Group Kenny and facilitate interaction with key suppliers and contractors.”