Anglo-French independent Perenco received approval from the UK authorities for the decommissioning program of the Pickerill gas field installations in the UK North Sea.
Two normally unmanned installations, the Pickerill A and Pickerill B platforms, make up the bulk of the infrastructure at the field. Pickerill B is located east of Pickerill A and has almost the exact same layout save for a sub-cellar deck. The two platforms are connected by a 16-in. export gas pipeline and a 3-in. methanol pipeline. Pickerill A is also connected to the now-closed Theddlethorpe gas terminal, and two subsea wells from the Juliet field—which is also set for decommissioning—were tied back to the platform. Owned by Neptune, the Juliet development is located to the west of the Pickerill field and connected via 12-in. pipeline. The sub-cellar deck on Pickerill A was fabricated to accommodate Juliet.
Perenco said it had explored all avenues for continuing production and concluded that, because of reduced gas production and the closure of the Theddlethorpe terminal, continued operations from Pickerill were uneconomical. The company submitted cessation of production documentation to the UK Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) in July 2018.
The topsides for both platforms are a conventional carbon steel structure, including a cellar deck, main deck, helideck, and vent boom. The four-legged jackets are also a conventional carbon steel structure, with an internal pile driven through each leg via the leg node cans.
The current plan for decommissioning is to remove the topsides and jackets with a heavy lift vessel, but Perenco said it is considering other options. These options include skidding or floating the topsides, which would require the removal of the towers, equipment, and appurtenances bellow the cellar deck. The topsides and jackets will be removed to shore for recycling or disposal.
Pickerill began producing gas in 1992. Perenco took over operatorship of the field from BP in 2003.