St Fergus Gas Terminal Northern North Sea / operations
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people/manage our future
the company/overview TOTAL E&P UK Limited is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the UK and part of the global business of the TOTAL Group, the fourth largest integrated oil and gas company in the world. The TOTAL Group, which has its headquarters in Paris, has operations in 130 countries and employs almost 100,000 people worldwide. The Group’s operations cover the entire range of oil and gas related activities, including exploration & production, trading & shipping and refining & marketing - as well as the manufacture and supply of a comprehensive range of chemical products. The UK Upstream subsidiary, TOTAL E&P UK, has its headquarters in Aberdeen, Europe’s oil and gas capital, and is one of the largest operators on the UK Continental Shelf in terms of production and reserves. The company employs over 700 people, split between its onshore sites and its offshore facilities. Being part of an international Group means that the workforce includes both local and expatriate staff, drawn from more than 30 countries. With its affiliates, TOTAL E&P UK owns and operates the Alwyn North, Dunbar, Ellon, Grant, Nuggets, Forvie, Jura and Otter fields in the Northern North Sea. It also operates the Elgin, Franklin, West Franklin and Glenelg Fields in the Central Graben Area of the Central North Sea. The company and its UK affiliates also have a number of non-operated interests in the Central and Northern North Sea including Bruce, ETAP, Alba, Armada and Nelson and has an interest in the Sullom Voe Oil Terminal on Shetland. Onshore, TOTAL E&P UK operates the St Fergus Gas Terminal on the northeast coast of Scotland, which receives and processes up to 20% of the UK’s natural gas requirements from over 20 fields in the UK and Norway. It owns 100% of the Terminal’s facilities and 50% of the Common Facilities, the remainder of the plant being owned by the Norwegian Association, Gassled. The company has a 100% interest in the UK Frigg pipeline (FUKA), an interest in the SEAL (Shearwater Elgin Area Line) pipeline through Elgin Franklin Oil and Gas Limited (EFOG), which is owned 77.5% by Elf Exploration UK Limited and 22.5% by Gaz de France. EFOG has a 25.73 per cent share in SEAL.
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producing safely/our top priority The welfare of its workforce is TOTAL E&P UK’s top priority and it conducts all its activities taking full account of the health and safety of its people, ensuring the safest possible working environment and the prevention of work-related illness. Our goal is to achieve an accidentfree work environment and thinking ‘Safety First’ is the responsibility of all staff at their work locations, whether onshore or offshore. Best in class environmental performance is another major goal.
We set measurable safety, health and environmental objectives and work hard to improve performance, making sure that all our staff and contractors are fully equipped to understand and implement our procedures. In addition, we work with partners, suppliers, competitors, regulators and the general public in developing and testing our emergency plans, which we believe help to set and raise industry standards. We also encourage a broad culture of openness and co-operation in the firm belief that this creates a positive attitude towards the advancement in understanding and improvement of performance in the areas of safety, health and environment – all of which is reviewed and audited. Those who contribute directly to improvements are recognised and performance evaluations for all employees include safety, health and environmental aspects. This is particularly important for those employees with managerial or supervisory responsibilities.
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TOTAL E&P UK continues to maintain its company-wide registration to ISO-14001, the international Environment Management System standard. This is globally recognised as reflecting a level of ‘good business practice’ and underlines a company’s genuine commitment to sustainable development. We are very proud of this achievement and through the maintenance and improvement of our management systems, hope to continue improving our environmental performance. The Terminal also holds EMAS (Eco-Management Audit Scheme) accreditation, as well as ISO 14001 certification, which represents the highest international standards of environmental management. EMAS accreditation aims to recognise and reward those who go above the minimum legal compliance and continuously improve their environmental performance, which is also a key requirement of ISO 14001 certification. 2008 saw the launch of TOTAL E&P UK’s Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Vision – five individual elements that work together to drive our SHE performance. These five areas – competence, supervision, SHE culture, risk assessment and asset integrity – will give us clear platforms on which to focus our efforts in the coming years.
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St Fergus/an essential hub TOTAL E&P UK’s St Fergus Gas Terminal covers over 220 acres and is located close to the small village of St. Fergus, around 60 km North of Aberdeen, on the North East coast of Scotland. There are three other terminals in the vicinity, operated by ExxonMobil, Shell and National Grid. The National Grid Terminal receives gas from the other terminals and distributes it to the UK’s National Grid System The TOTAL E&P UK Terminal was originally constructed to receive and process gas from the Frigg field, which straddled the UK / Norway median line. Although this very large gas field ceased production in 2004, the St Fergus Terminal now receives gas from more than 20 other fields in both the UK and Norway and supplies up to 18% of the UK’s gas. The gas is received at the Terminal through the Frigg UK pipeline (known as FUKA) and the Norwegian Vesterled pipeline and is processed to National Grid’s entry specification before being transported to the National Grid Terminal for onward distribution. In the past, gas was also received via the Miller Transportation System but the Miller Field ceased production in 2007 and the receiving facilities will be decommissioned over time. When developing the Terminal the challenge was to create a plant to facilitate the exploitation of vital North Sea gas resources yet protect the unspoiled coastal and marine environment. The first stage was the building of the reception Terminal in 1977 to receive and process gas from the Frigg field. The same year the adjacent British Gas Terminal, known today as the National Grid Terminal, was built to receive the processed gas and to feed it into the National Grid for distribution within the UK. Since construction, the TOTAL E&P UK’s Terminal facilities have been developed and expanded to cope with the changing mixture of gases and processing requirements from additional fields. The most notable developments made to the plant were in 1987 to receive gas from the Alwyn North field and in 1993 to receive gas from the Bruce field. In 2005 TOTAL E&P UK concluded a deal to transport gas from the Rhum field through its UK pipeline to the St Fergus Gas Terminal. Other than TOTAL E&P UK’s own Alwyn Area production this is one of the largest field in terms of volume through the FUKA pipeline and Terminal system, which will help to maintain efficient use of the pipeline over the coming years. Further negotiations in recent years have successfully resulted in gas from other fields being brought to shore to the St Fergus Terminal, including Tweedsmuir, Galley, Tartan and Buzzard. The St Fergus facilities will continue to play a vital role in bringing a large proportion of the UK’s gas requirements into the country for decades to come.
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St Fergus/the history The very large Frigg Field justified the building of the St Fergus Terminal in 1977 but the field has now ceased production. However, due to new discoveries and third party business the pipelines and Terminal system will continue to be an essential hub in providing an efficient and economic route for gas into the UK market. The pipeline system consists of two 32’’ pipelines, 362 km in length. The UK line principally transports gas from the Alwyn Area fields and from the Bruce area but with a number of other fields linked into it. The Norwegian pipeline is known as Vesterled and was extended in 2001 to the Heimdal field riser, in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. This line allows continued export of Norwegian gas to the UK market through the St Fergus Terminal. UK fields connected to the UK pipeline and then into the St Fergus Terminal include the TOTAL-operated Alwyn North, Dunbar, Ellon, Grant, Nuggets, Forvie North and Jura. Nonoperated fields connected into the UK pipeline include, or have included Bruce, Buzzard, Captain, Rhum, Chanter, Galley, Hamish, Highlander, Ivanhoe, MacCulloch, Petronella, Piper, Ross, Rob Roy, Tweedsmuir Area and Tartan. Following the cessation of production from Frigg field, a new pipeline was constructed connecting the 24’’ subsea line from the Alwyn Area, bypassing the Frigg TP1 platform and connecting directly into the 32’’ UK pipeline. This was completed in 2006.
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MCP-01/decommissioning The Manifold Compression Platform MCP-01 is located in the UKCS mid-way along the pipelines between the Frigg Field and St Fergus Gas Terminal in Scotland. MCP-01 is a concrete gravity platform installed in 1976 in 94m of water, and came into operation in September 1977 when gas from the Frigg field started to flow. The original purpose of the platform was to act as a compression and interconnection platform for the Frigg Transportation System consisting of the 32� FUKA and 32� Vesterled pipelines which transported gas from the Frigg Field to the St Fergus Gas Terminal. During summer 2004 and 2005 these pipelines were re-routed to bypass MCP-01 to allow the installation to be decommissioned. Over four years, during the decommissioning planning process a very open and full consultation with non-governmental organisations, fishermen, environmental organisations and other interested parties was carried out and their views taken into consideration. Several workshops were held for external groups; decommissioning plans were published and made available to the public on a dedicated web site and also through the press. The MCP-01 Decommissioning Programme was approved by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy giving approval to leave the concrete substructure in place. Prior to giving this permit both authorities were obliged to consult the signatories to the OSPAR Convention with the result that none of the Contracting Parties submitted any objections. The removal of the topside facilities was completed in December 2008 where half of the weight was removed by a heavy lift vessel and the remaining by means of two excavators, cutting modules into suitable pieces for transport to shore for final disposal. The final heavy lift campaign took place in summer 2009 to remove the platform cranes and temporary equipment. An external riser that brought gas into the MCP-01 facility from other fields is planned to be removed in 2010. During the last four months of 2010 post removal activities such as debris cleaning within a 500m zone, seabed sampling and finally a trawl test are all planned. On the highest point of the concrete substructure permanent navigation aids are installed and these will be monitored onshore via satellite.
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Processing gas/at St Fergus Gas arriving at the St Fergus Terminal through both the UK and Vesterled lines consists mainly of methane with heavier natural gas liquids such as butane and propane plus some non-hydrocarbons. As the gas enters the Terminal it is fed through a dedicated slug catcher where any condensates or liquid hydrocarbons are separated and removed before the remaining gas enters the main processing system. Gas is first cooled to between minus10 degrees C and minus 50 degrees C allowing any remaining liquids to be removed. Finally, the dry gas, made suitable for our homes and workplaces is metered and then delivered to the National Grid Terminal. Liquids collected from processing of the gas is either sent 24 km along the coast to join the BP Forties Pipeline System at Cruden Bay or into the Shell Gas terminal also at St Fergus, for onward delivery to Mossmorran. On the southern edge of the St Fergus Terminal are dedicated facilities for production from the Miller Field. However, the BPoperated Miller Field has now ceased production and the facilities are in the process of being decommissioned. Over recent years the Terminal facilities have been significantly upgraded to ensure its long future and efficient handling of current and future production from the North Sea and beyond, including the anticipated gas production from the West of Shetlands in a few years time. Recent upgrades to the Terminal include the replacement of the various process software systems, replacement of the two stand-by power generation units, metering and uninterruptible power supply systems as well as improvements to flare and s e c u r i t y s y s t e m s . T h e re i s a l s o a n e x t e n sive ongoing maintenance and asset integrity programme to ensure operational efficiency of the highest standards.
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St Fergus/30 years and beyond In 2007, the St Fergus Gas Terminal celebrated 30 years since first gas was received. During that time, the 220 acre terminal has played a vital role in meeting the nation’s energy needs, handling approximately 20% of the UK’s gas requirements. In addition to receiving gas from offshore, the terminal is also responsible for processing the raw supply into a consumable commodity, ready for distribution via the National Grid system. The 30th anniversary of first gas provided an excellent opportunity to promote the work of the terminal to local residents and members of the community at an Open Day on 15 September 2007. The event provided a rare opportunity to tour the terminal and to learn first hand about St Fergus operations. But the influence of corporate social responsibility reaches out beyond the terminal’s perimeter fence. The unstinting commitment of employees to seek greener ways of working at St Fergus means local businesses and the neighbouring community have been in partnership with TOTAL E&P UK over the past three decades.
The terminal prides itself on a site-wide holistic approach to the environment which has secured widespread recognition for its groundbreaking eco-friendly initiatives, most recently as the winner of the prestigious Vision in Business for the Environment Scotland (VIBES) award in 2007. Environmental protection has always been high on the agenda. For example the sand dunes, which had to be disturbed by the installation of the subsea pipelines carrying the gas onshore, were carefully restored to their former state with the help of local environmentalists. Special grass, typical of the area, was planted to stabilise them. For centuries the same birds and mammals have visited the dunes including gulls, waders, skylarks and snow buntings. As well as these traditional visitors, the planting of additional trees around the terminal have drawn new populations of birds to the area.
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Over the years the company has continued to play a major part in the environmental monitoring and assessment of the coastal dunes. In 2008, coastal erosion experts from around the world attended a three day symposium at St Fergus which was sponsored by all the terminal operators and members of the St Fergus Coastal Environmental Committee. Within and around the village of St Fergus, TOTAL E&P UK maintains the close relationship with the local community by supporting various projects and initiatives. In June 2009, pupils from St Fergus primary school enjoyed a trip to London Zoo as regional winners of the TOTAL Green School Awards initiative. Working with TOTAL E&P UK employees, the pupils’ award winning project focused on saving energy in the school and at home. In response to road safety concerns by St Fergus community council, TOTAL E&P UK provided a speed sign at the south side of the village which has helped reduce motorist’s speed as they travel onwards to the terminal and the north.
Over the past 32 years TOTAL E & P U K h a s w e l c o med t h o u sands of visitors to its gas terminal, among them families of employees, schoolchildren, students, government ministers, foreign delegations and royalty. As we look ahead to the future, TOTAL E&P UK will continue to place the local community at the heart of what we do and demonstrate how we are helping contribute to the social, economic and environmental health of the local area.
Photography: François Lacour, Ken Taylor Design by Mearns & Gill, Aberdeen Copyright Š TOTAL E&P UK Limited 2009 All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the permission of the copyright holder. TOTAL E&P UK Limited Crawpeel Road, Altens, Aberdeen AB12 3FG Tel: +44 (0) 1224 297000 Fax: +44 (0) 1224 298999 www.total.com