According to this article published by The National in 2019, researchers at the University of Edinburgh have demonstrated that a CCS project at the Beatrice oil field would be a cheaper alternative to decommissioning. The field* is located 24km offshore in the Outer Moray Firth and is connected to shore via a power cable at Dunbeath and a 16-inch pipeline at Nigg Bay (that could conceivably be used to transport CO2 to the field for reinjection). Power stations are cited as a source for the CO2, however the short article does not elaborate further upon how and where this will be captured and brought to the Nigg Bay Terminal.
Dr Stuart Gilfillan, one of the researchers, commented: “extending natural gas production in the North Sea, could help kick-start a world-leading carbon capture and storage industry in the UK.”
At MFDevCo, identifying viable fields and considering alternative uses for the vast array and network of infrastructure in the North Sea, by extending natural gas production, is something that we are very much focused upon. Decommissioning is both expensive and emissions intensive – we believe that extending/maximising the life of these significant assets by deploying Gas2Wire and other cleaner2greener™ equipment and technologies is very much in the national interest. We are taking action now, before these assets are removed and lost forever.
* – Discovered in 1976, the Beatrice field reached first oil in 1981 and ceased in 2015 with particularly low oil and associated gas rates and a high water cut. Containing a STOIIP of 480MMBBL, water injection was introduced early to address low energy and poor aquifer influx. During the final 5 years of production, the project was supported by production from the nearby Jacky field. The ultimate recovery factor ‘URF’ was in the region of 35%.