The troubled Breagh North Sea gas field has restarted after nearly two months of production problems – but it could close again in January, it has emerged.
The field shut down at the beginning of November to allow for repair work, just a month after starting up, with what was expected to be a two-week maintenance programme eventually extended to seven.
Repair work is still ongoing at the Teeside processing plant which handles the RWE-operated field’s output, but interim repairs have allowed work to resume on the field before the end of the year.
However, project partner Sterling Resources warned that it expects the field to close again next week, while repair work on the drilling rig carrying out exploration on the field is conducted.
“The investigation into the production incident continues with an expected completion date at the end of January 2014,” Sterling said in a statement.
“However, interim feedback from the investigation has identified the necessary actions to permit production restart and continuation of re-commissioning activities following the replacement of the barred tee-junction and various other repairs to the inlet to the gas plant.
“Initial production rates from the field will be variable as these commissioning activities progress. In addition, a two day planned shutdown is scheduled for the first week of January 2014 to allow the Ensco 70 drilling rig to move off location and transfer to a shipyard for necessary work required as part of normal marine certification requirements.”
Sterling and RWE Dea have already delayed a decision on developing the second phase of the gas field until mid-2014, with current drilling on the site being used to help guide the process.
The field, originally discovered in 1997, finally began production in October – two months behind schedule – and will generate more than 110million cubic feet of gas per day once fully operational.
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