Nexen today became the latest company to confirm that production had restarted from its fields served by the Forties pipeline.
Nexen, owned by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, temporarily shut down production from the Buzzard and Scott platforms earlier this month in light of the Forties pipeline closure.
Forties pipeline owner Ineos said at the start of December that it had lowered the pressure in the pipeline after identifying the hairline fracture at a site at Netherley, near Aberdeen, but did not have to shut it down.
However, on December 11 Ineos said the crack had got bigger, forcing it into a controlled shutdown.
Ineos said yesterday that restrictions on the flow of oil and gas from platforms feeding into the pipeline system had been fully lifted after repairs were “mechanically” completed.
A spokeswoman for Nexen said today: “Now that repairs have been completed on the Forties pipeline, Nexen has safely restarted production on both our Buzzard and Scott platforms.”
Buzzard is the North Sea’s biggest producing field. Nexen said last month that it was producing between 160,000-170,000 barrels per day.
Meanwhile, S&P Global Platts has cited French oil giant Total as saying that normal production had been restored to the Elgin and Franklin fields.
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