TechnipFMC has won a significant contract worth up to $250 million from UK-based supermajor Shell for the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation contract (EPCI) for the Jackdaw development located east of Aberdeen in the UK North Sea.
The contract covers pipelay for an 18-mile (30-km) tieback, using pipe-in-pipe technology designed for high-presure, high-temperature use, from the new Jackdaw platform to Shell’s Shearwater platform, as well as an associated riser, spool pieces, subsea structures, and umbilicals.
“We’re excited to embark on this significant project together in the UK North Sea. Our strong technical record and our ability to design, engineer, construct, and install were key to our success in winning this award,” said Jonathan Landes, president, subsea at TechnipFMC, in a release.
TechnipFMC identifies a contract as “significant” as being between $75 and $250 million.
Shell sanctioned Jackdaw in July 2022, a decision that came almost 2 months after it had received approval from British regulators for the field’s revised development plan after the field’s original plan had been rejected last year.
The Jackdaw gas field, discovered in 2005, is located about 155 miles (250 km) east of Aberdeen in the central North Sea in about 255 ft (78 m) of water.
The field development will comprise a new wellhead platform that is not permanently attended, four production wells, and a 19-mile (31-km) 12-in. nominal bore trenched and buried pipeline connecting the platform to Shell’s existing Shearwater gas hub.
The project is expected to come on line in the second half of 2025, with peak production from the field estimated at 40,000 BOED. This is more than 6% of projected UK North Sea gas production and with operational emissions of less than 1% of the whole UK basin, according to Shell.
Wellhead Platform Award
In August, Shell UK awarded Norway’s Aker Solutions a contract between NOK 2–3 billion for the delivery of the new wellhead platform for the Jackdaw gas field. The award follows the completion of the front-end engineering and design work awarded in June 2019.
“We are pleased that Shell selects us to develop a cost-effective platform for this major North Sea gas field. We will build on our strong topside solutions and executions model which involves reusing facilities and equipment and bringing onboard solid experience from similar developments from both internal Aker Solutions resources and external partners,” said Sturla Magnus, executive vice president and head of Aker Solutions’ topsides and facilities business.
The award covers the EPCI of the complete wellhead platform, consisting of topsides and steel jacket, and related loadout, offshore hookup, and commissioning.
The wellhead platform will be fabricated at Aker Solutions’ yard in Verdal, Norway, with the steel substructure including a pre-drilling deck to be delivered to Shell in 2023 and the topsides in 2024.
