bp Commences Production from Seagull Oil and Gas Field, Boosting North Sea Energy Supplies

bp Commences Production from Seagull Oil and Gas Field, Boosting North Sea Energy Supplies

(IN BRIEF) bp has successfully initiated production from the Seagull oil and gas field in the UK North Sea, marking a significant milestone for energy supply and job support in the region. Developed by Neptune Energy, Seagull serves as a subsea tieback to the bp-operated central processing facility (CPF) of the Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP). The project, which supported 800 jobs during its development phase, is the first tieback to the ETAP hub in 20 years. Seagull’s production, delivered via a new subsea pipeline and umbilical, is crucial for sustaining operations at the ETAP CPF, supporting 350 full-time jobs. The field is expected to produce approximately 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent gross per day at peak production, contributing to bp’s ongoing investment in the North Sea and the energy transition.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 7-NOV-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — bp has successfully started production from the Seagull oil and gas field in the UK North Sea, boosting energy supplies, supporting the supply chain and jobs, and underpinning continued production from an offshore facility that’s been operating for 25 years.

Seagull has been developed by Neptune Energy as a subsea tieback to the bp-operated central processing facility (CPF) of the Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP) in the central North Sea, around 140 miles east of Aberdeen.

The project supported 800 jobs through the development phase.

Seagull is the first tieback to the ETAP hub in 20 years. The field is located 10 miles south of the ETAP CPF and is a four-well development. Production is delivered via a new three-mile subsea pipeline which connects to an existing pipeline system. A new 10-mile umbilical has been installed, linking the ETAP CPF to the Seagull field, providing control, power and communications services between surface and seafloor.

Seagull sustains continued production through the ETAP CPF, which supports 350 full-time jobs, 270 offshore and 80 onshore. Oil from Seagull is exported through the Forties Pipeline System to Grangemouth in central Scotland and gas to Teesside via the Central Area Transmission System.

The new field is expected to produce around 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent gross per day at peak production.

Doris Reiter, senior vice president, bp North Sea, said: “bp has been safely operating in the North Sea for nearly 60 years, delivering a reliable flow of energy, supporting thousands of jobs and a world-class supply chain. We plan to keep doing this by investing in our existing oil and gas infrastructure, like at ETAP, which has been a cornerstone of our North Sea portfolio for a quarter of a century. The start-up of Seagull is a fantastic milestone that demonstrates how bp is investing in today’s energy system and, at the same time, investing in the energy transition.

“A key focus for bp in the North Sea is to identify projects which can be developed efficiently using existing infrastructure. Seagull is a great example of this, and my thanks go to the committed teams at bp, our joint venture partners and supply chain colleagues who worked so hard to safely deliver this important project.”

Alan Muirhead, UK Country Director, Neptune Energy, added: “As the operator of the project, Seagull is an excellent example of what can be achieved through close collaboration. From the beginning, the partners have taken an innovative approach to ensure we can collectively maximise the recovery of domestic energy resources while extending the life of existing subsea infrastructure to reduce development costs.”

Tomomi Yamada, Managing Executive Officer, JAPEX said: “JAPEX is truly delighted with the safe and successful start-up of the Seagull field. We believe this commencement in production will benefit our business expansion strategy in the North Sea and realise the significant potential of the UK Continental Shelf. It is our pleasure to strengthen our partnership with bp and Neptune through the project.”

You can read more about Seagull and the people behind it on our website here, where you’ll also see a short film about the project.

Notes to editors

• Neptune Energy holds a 35% stake in Seagull and operated the field through the development phase, drilling wells and installing subsea equipment.

• bp, with a 50% stake in Seagull, operates the production phase of the development. JAPEX holds the remaining 15% interest in the field.

• The ETAP hub came online in July 1998. It was initially estimated to have a production life of 20-25 years, with decommissioning predicted to begin in 2023. A $1 billion investment in 2015 secured its future into the 2030s.

• bp operates all the ETAP fields; Machar, Madoes, Mirren, Monan, Marnock, Mungo and Seagull. They produce through the ETAP CPF.

• Murlach, a future tieback to the ETAP CPF, received government and regulatory approval in September 2023 with production expected in 2025.

Cautionary statement:

In order to utilize the ‘safe harbor’ provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the ‘PSLRA’) and the general doctrine of cautionary statements, bp is providing the following cautionary statement.

This document contains certain forecasts, projections and forward-looking statements – that is, statements related to future, not past events and circumstances – with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of bp and certain of the plans and objectives of bp with respect to these items. These statements are generally, but not always, identified by the use of words such as ‘will’, ‘expects’, ‘is expected to’, ‘targets’, ‘aims’, ‘should’, ‘may’, ‘objective’, ‘is likely to’, ‘intends’, ‘believes’, ‘anticipates’, ‘plans’, ‘we see’ or similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will or may occur in the future and are outside the control of bp. Actual results or outcomes, may differ materially from those expressed in such statements, depending on a variety of factors, including the risk factors discussed under “Risk factors” in bp’s most recent Annual Report and Form 20-F as filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and in any of our more recent public reports.

Our most recent Annual Report and Form 20-F and other period filings are available on our website at www.bp.com or can be obtained from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330 or on its website at www.sec.gov.

This document contains references to non-proved resources and production outlooks based on non-proved resources that the SEC’s rules prohibit us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosures in our Form 20-F, SEC File No. 1-0626

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SOURCE: Lightsource bp