Bacton Gas Terminal
Encyclopedia
The Bacton Gas Terminal is a large gas terminal
found on the North Sea
coast in North Norfolk
near Paston
and between Bacton
and Mundesley
. The nearest main town is North Walsham
. The other main UK gas terminals are at St Fergus, Aberdeenshire and the Easington, East Riding of Yorkshire
.
. The Gas Council marketed the new North Sea gas as High Speed Gas.
On 13 August 1981, 11 gas workers lost their lives in the G-ASWI North Sea ditching
, in a Wessex
helicopter. At 6pm on 28 February 2008, there was an explosion and fire at the Shell UK terminal, for which Shell were fined £1 million .
or to Belgium via the Interconnector
and to the Netherlands via the BBL Pipeline
. The gas terminals are run by Royal Dutch Shell
, ExxonMobil
, Perenco
(which took over the BP operations) and ENI
(which took over the Tullow Oil
operations). Tullow had begun operations in 2003.
The five terminals are
Initial gas processing takes place on the gas rigs, where the gas is received with a slugcatcher
, dehydrated using triethylene glycol
then compressed. Sour gas
(sulphurous) had previously been removed by amine gas treating
, but not presently. Gas enters the NTS at around 1000 psig
. Condensate is removed and piped by the British Pipeline Agency
to the North Walsham rail terminal
.
in the Northern North Sea. The SEAL Pipeline is the longest on the UK Continental Shelf
. It employs 46 people and began operations in 1968. It connects to the BBL Pipeline
to the Netherlands which became operational in December 2006.
of Italy, and connects to the Hewett Pipeline. The terminal has two GE 11MW Frame 3 and one GE 3.7MW Frame 1 gas turbines, connected to three centrifugal compressor
s.
gas turbines and a Thermodyn centrifugal compressor
in its compressor station, which was built by Kværner
John Brown
(now called Aker Solutions).
The Eni-operated terminal takes two pipelines from the Hewett complex, one from the Thames complex and one from the Lancelot (LAPS) complex. Each set of pipelines are received and processed separately.
.
and is owned by zoe and BP and run by Shell. Leman A began production in August 1968. It connected to the Shell terminal. Leman B began production in November 1970. Leman C began in February 1972. Leman D began in August 1974. Leman E opened in August 1983. Leman F and G began in September 1987. The Leman complex of platforms connects to Bacton via Leman A, and is directly east of the Hewett complex. It is named after Sir John Leman
. Field gas is piped to Bacton via Leman A Complex where facilities consist of two RB211
(driving HP compression) and two Avon
(driving LP compression) gas turbines.
ship.
, a type of sailing ship. It is owned by Shell and Esso and run by Shell. Brigantine A began was discovered in 1986; B was discovered in 1997; and C was discovered in 1998. All three fields began production in October 2001 via BR and BG platforms. Gas is piped to the Bacton terminal via the Corvette and Leman A Complex. It is named after the brigantine
ship.
type of ship
design of ship.
type of ship.
(of Italy) by Tullow in 2003. The fields are named after the River Thames, the Yare
, Bure
, Wensum
of Norfolk, and the Deben
of Suffolk.
The Thames complex has one Solar
Mars, and one Ruston
Tornado and TB5 gas turbines for its compressor.
.
The Welland proved uneconomical by 2005 and was decommissioned and removed in 2010.
. It was discovered in October 1966 and production started in July 1969. It has two pipelines to Bacton - the Thames and Hewett pipelines. It is the set of fields nearest to Bacton being 25 miles (40.2 km) east of Great Yarmouth
. It was run by Phillips Petroleum, which became ConocoPhillips, and then run by Tullow Oil. By 2011 the Hewett complex is predicted to become economically unviable.
in 2004, then 50% sold to Centrica
. Operated before 2004 by Shell.
of the Arthurian legend.
in Norfolk.
.
.
(Atlantic Richfield Company), and is now run by Perenco
. It was discovered in March 1991 and production started in November 1996. It connects to the Perenco Bacton terminal via the Eagles pipeline. Has two Solar
Mars gas turbines for the compressor.
) in 2004. Named after the River Orwell
in Suffolk
.
Natural gas processing
Natural-gas processing is a complex industrial process designed to clean raw natural gas by separating impurities and various non-methane hydrocarbons and fluids to produce what is known as pipeline quality dry natural gas.-Background:...
found on the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
coast in North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...
near Paston
Paston, Norfolk
Paston is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is north-east of North Walsham and south-east of Cromer. It is north-east of the city of Norwich. The village sits astride the coast road between Mundesley and Bacton. The nearest railway station is at North...
and between Bacton
Bacton, Norfolk
Bacton is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is on the Norfolk coast, some 20 km south-east of Cromer, 40 km north-west of Great Yarmouth and 30 km north of Norwich. Besides the village of Bacton, the parish includes the nearby settlements of Bacton Green, Broomholm,...
and Mundesley
Mundesley
Mundesley is a coastal village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is 20.3 miles north-north east of Norwich, 7.3 miles south east of Cromer and 136 miles north east of London. The village lies 5.6 miles north-north east of the town of North Walsham. The nearest...
. The nearest main town is North Walsham
North Walsham
North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England in the North Norfolk district.-Demographics:The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 11,998. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North...
. The other main UK gas terminals are at St Fergus, Aberdeenshire and the Easington, East Riding of Yorkshire
Easington Gas Terminal
The Easington Gas Terminal is one of three main gas terminals in the UK, and is situated on the North Sea coast at Easington, East Riding of Yorkshire and Dimlington. The other two main gas terminals are at St Fergus, Aberdeenshire and Bacton, Norfolk. The whole site consists of three plants: two...
.
History
The plant opened during 1968, initially built by Shell and the Gas Council. Planning permission had been given on 16 June 1967 by Anthony Greenwood, Baron Greenwood of Rossendale. The Leman field began on 13 August 1968 (joint Shell-Esso), and the Hewett field (Phillips Petroleum) began operations in July 1969. Construction of the £5 million Phillips plant began in April 1968. The Leman field (Shell-Esso) needed a 34-mile-long pipeline. A 36-inch diameter 140-mile-long pipe (Number 2 feeder main) costing £17 million was built by Italsider from Bacton to near RugbyRugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
. The Gas Council marketed the new North Sea gas as High Speed Gas.
On 13 August 1981, 11 gas workers lost their lives in the G-ASWI North Sea ditching
G-ASWI North Sea ditching
G-ASWI was a Westland Wessex 60, operated by Bristow Helicopters operating between Bacton Gas Terminal, in Norfolk, and gas rigs in the North Sea. On 13 August 1981 the helicopter lost power to the main rotor gearbox, going out of control during the ensuing autorotation. The flight was carrying 11...
, in a Wessex
Westland Wessex
The Westland Wessex is a British turbine-powered version of the Sikorsky S-58 "Choctaw", developed under license by Westland Aircraft , initially for the Royal Navy, and later for the Royal Air Force...
helicopter. At 6pm on 28 February 2008, there was an explosion and fire at the Shell UK terminal, for which Shell were fined £1 million .
Operation
It consists of five gas terminals, taking gas from the Southern North Sea (SNS). From there, they connect to the National Transmission SystemNational Transmission System
The National Transmission System is the network of large-diameter gas pipelines throughout the United Kingdom that supply gas to 40 power stations from natural gas terminals situated on the coast, and also gas distribution companies which lead indirectly to homes.-Similarity to the National...
or to Belgium via the Interconnector
Interconnector
The Interconnector is a natural gas pipeline between the United Kingdom and continental Europe. It crosses the North Sea between Bacton Gas Terminal in England and Zeebrugge in Belgium. Construction of the pipeline was completed in 1998. It provides bi-directional transport capability to...
and to the Netherlands via the BBL Pipeline
BBL Pipeline
The BBL Pipeline is the first natural gas pipeline between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.-History:Laying the pipeline between the North Holland compressor station at Grasweg in Anna Paulowna and Bacton Gas Terminal started on 14 July 2006...
. The gas terminals are run by Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
, ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
, Perenco
Perenco
Perenco is an independent Anglo-French oil and gas company with a headquarters in London. It has exploration and production activities in 16 countries across the globe .Perenco is involved in operations both...
(which took over the BP operations) and ENI
Eni
Eni S.p.A. is an Italian multinational oil and gas company, present in 70 countries, and currently Italy's largest industrial company with a market capitalization of 87.7 billion euros , as of July 24, 2008...
(which took over the Tullow Oil
Tullow Oil
Tullow Oil plc is a global oil and gas exploration company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has interests in over 85 licences across 23 countries and in 2010 produced 58,100 barrels of oil equivalent per day...
operations). Tullow had begun operations in 2003.
The five terminals are
- Hewett - formerly ConocoPhillips, then Tullow Oil from 2003, then Eni since December 2008
- Thames - formerly Tullow and now Eni since December 2008
- LAPS - Perenco
- Leman - Shell
- NTS - National Grid
Initial gas processing takes place on the gas rigs, where the gas is received with a slugcatcher
Slugcatcher
Slugcatcher is the name of a unit in the gas refinery or petroleum industry in which slugs at the outlet of pipelines are collected or caught. A slug is a large quantity of gas or liquid that exits the pipeline.- Slugs :...
, dehydrated using triethylene glycol
Triethylene glycol
Triethylene glycol, TEG, or triglycol is a colorless odorless viscous liquid with molecular formula HOCH2CH2OCH2CH2OCH2CH2OH. It is used as a plasticizer for vinyl. It is also used in air sanitizer products, such as "Oust" or "Clean and Pure." When aerosolized it acts as a disinfectant...
then compressed. Sour gas
Sour gas
Sour gas is natural gas or any other gas containing significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide . Natural gas is usually considered sour if there are more than 5.7 milligrams of H2S per cubic meter of natural gas, which is equivalent to approximately 4 ppm by volume...
(sulphurous) had previously been removed by amine gas treating
Amine gas treating
Amine gas treating, also known as gas sweetening and acid gas removal, refers to a group of processes that use aqueous solutions of various alkylamines to remove hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from gases...
, but not presently. Gas enters the NTS at around 1000 psig
Pounds per square inch
The pound per square inch or, more accurately, pound-force per square inch is a unit of pressure or of stress based on avoirdupois units...
. Condensate is removed and piped by the British Pipeline Agency
British Pipeline Agency
British Pipeline Agency Ltd is a joint venture between BP Oil UK and Shell UK. The company owns and operates the UK oil pipeline network of oil and gas pipelines which transport petroleum products and natural gas around the UK. Storage facilities operated by BPA include the Hertfordshire Oil...
to the North Walsham rail terminal
North Walsham railway station
North Walsham is a railway station in the town of North Walsham in the English county of Norfolk. The station is served by local services operated by National Express East Anglia on the Bittern Line from Norwich to Cromer and Sheringham...
.
Shell
The Shell terminal takes gas from the 474 kilometres (294.5 mi) long SEAL Pipeline, which connects to the Shearwater and Elgin-Franklin gas fieldsElgin-Franklin gasfield
The Elgin-Franklin fields are two adjacent gas fields located in the Central Graben Area of the North Sea east of Aberdeen, Scotland at the water depth of . The field operated by Total S.A...
in the Northern North Sea. The SEAL Pipeline is the longest on the UK Continental Shelf
UK Continental Shelf
The UK Continental Shelf is the region of waters surrounding the United Kingdom, in which the country claims mineral rights. This principally refers to the North Sea, where there are large resources of hydrocarbons. The North Sea is also bordered by Norway, Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands...
. It employs 46 people and began operations in 1968. It connects to the BBL Pipeline
BBL Pipeline
The BBL Pipeline is the first natural gas pipeline between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.-History:Laying the pipeline between the North Holland compressor station at Grasweg in Anna Paulowna and Bacton Gas Terminal started on 14 July 2006...
to the Netherlands which became operational in December 2006.
Hewett Bacton Terminal
This is owned by EniEni
Eni S.p.A. is an Italian multinational oil and gas company, present in 70 countries, and currently Italy's largest industrial company with a market capitalization of 87.7 billion euros , as of July 24, 2008...
of Italy, and connects to the Hewett Pipeline. The terminal has two GE 11MW Frame 3 and one GE 3.7MW Frame 1 gas turbines, connected to three centrifugal compressor
Centrifugal compressor
Centrifugal compressors, sometimes termed radial compressors, are a sub-class of dynamic axisymmetric work-absorbing turbomachinery.The idealized compressive dynamic turbo-machine achieves a pressure rise by adding kinetic energy/velocity to a continuous flow of fluid through the rotor or impeller...
s.
Perenco terminal
This takes gas from the LAPS complex and its Arthurian fields, and the Leman complex.Infrastructure
The Interconnector works via four GE LM2500General Electric LM2500
-External links:* .* *...
gas turbines and a Thermodyn centrifugal compressor
Centrifugal compressor
Centrifugal compressors, sometimes termed radial compressors, are a sub-class of dynamic axisymmetric work-absorbing turbomachinery.The idealized compressive dynamic turbo-machine achieves a pressure rise by adding kinetic energy/velocity to a continuous flow of fluid through the rotor or impeller...
in its compressor station, which was built by Kværner
Kværner
Kværner was a Norway-based engineering and construction services company in existence between 1853 and 2005 when it was merged with Aker ASA. The Kværner name was used in the subsidiary Aker Kværner until April 3, 2008 when it changed name to Aker Solutions. Kværner re-emerged on 6...
John Brown
John Brown & Company
John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a pre-eminent Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding firm, responsible for building many notable and world-famous ships, such as the , the , the , the , the , and the...
(now called Aker Solutions).
The Eni-operated terminal takes two pipelines from the Hewett complex, one from the Thames complex and one from the Lancelot (LAPS) complex. Each set of pipelines are received and processed separately.
Indefatigable and Indefatigable SW
It is owned by Shell and BP. The J field started in September 1971, K started in March 1973, L started in October 1978 and the M platform started in October 1985. Production started in October 1971 and the field was discovered in June 1966. Indefatigable SW was discovered in June 1967 and production started in October 1989. It is named after World War I Royal Navy battlecruiserBattlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
.
Leman
It was discovered in August 1966 and is 20 miles (32.2 km) from LowestoftLowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
and is owned by zoe and BP and run by Shell. Leman A began production in August 1968. It connected to the Shell terminal. Leman B began production in November 1970. Leman C began in February 1972. Leman D began in August 1974. Leman E opened in August 1983. Leman F and G began in September 1987. The Leman complex of platforms connects to Bacton via Leman A, and is directly east of the Hewett complex. It is named after Sir John Leman
John Leman
Sir John Leman was a tradesman from Beccles, England who became Lord Mayor of London.-Career:Leman's business interests grew across the district of Waveney, which spans the Norfolk-Suffolk border. In the 1580s he moved to London and extended his business interests to trading in dairy products...
. Field gas is piped to Bacton via Leman A Complex where facilities consist of two RB211
Rolls-Royce RB211
The Rolls-Royce RB211 is a family of high-bypass turbofan engines made by Rolls-Royce plc and capable of generating 37,400 to 60,600 pounds-force thrust. Originally developed for the Lockheed L-1011 , it entered service in 1972 and was the only engine to power this aircraft type...
(driving HP compression) and two Avon
Rolls-Royce Avon
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9-External links:**** a 1955 Flight article on the development of the Avon...
(driving LP compression) gas turbines.
Corvette
This connects via the Leman platforms. Run by Shell and owned equally by Shell and Esso. Discovered in January 1996 and production started in January 1999. It is named after the corvetteCorvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
ship.
Brigantine
This connects via the Leman platforms. It is named after BrigantineBrigantine
In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
, a type of sailing ship. It is owned by Shell and Esso and run by Shell. Brigantine A began was discovered in 1986; B was discovered in 1997; and C was discovered in 1998. All three fields began production in October 2001 via BR and BG platforms. Gas is piped to the Bacton terminal via the Corvette and Leman A Complex. It is named after the brigantine
Brigantine
In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
ship.
Sean
These consist of the Sean P and (smaller) Sean R platforms. The Sean North field was discovered in May 1969 and Sean South was discovered in January 1970, and production started in October 1986. It is owned equally by Shell, Esso Exploration & Production UK Ltd, Union Texas and Britoil (BP) but run by Shell. Sean East was discovered in June 1983, with production starting in November 1994.Clipper
It is part of the Sole Pit field. It was discovered in March 1968. Production started in October 1990. It is owned by Shell and Esso and run by Shell. The Clipper complex has been developed as a nodal platform for the Galleon, Barque and Carrack Fields. It is named after the clipperClipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
type of ship
Barque
It is part of the Sole Pit complex. It was discovered in 1971. Production started in October 1990. It is owned by Shell and Esso and run by Shell. It is furthest north of the fields connected to Bacton, being further north of many of the Lincolnshire-connected gas fields. Piped to Bacton via Clipper complex. It is named after the barqueBarque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
design of ship.
Galleon
It is part of the Sole Pit complex. Production started in October 1994 and was discovered in September 1969. It is owned by Shell and Esso and run by Shell. Piped to Bacton via Clipper complex. It is named after the galleonGalleon
A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
type of ship.
Carrack
Located approx 120 km North East of Bacton Terminal. Production started in 2003. It is owned by Shell and Esso and run by Shell. Piped to Bacton via Clipper complex.Shearwater
Run by Shell but owned by 28% by Shell UK Ltd, 28% by Esso Exploration & Production UK Ltd, 28% by ARCO British Ltd, 12% by Superior Oil (UK) Ltd, and 4% by Canadian Superior Oil UK Ltd. Discovered in September 1988 with production starting in September 2000. Connects to Bacton via the SEAL pipeline (Shearwater Elgin Area Line). The 474 km SEAL pipeline also connects to the Elgin-Franklin gas field.ENI gas fields
These fields are controlled from the Thames complex, formerly operated by Esso and owned by Tullow. The company is run as Eni Hewett Ltd.Thames, Yare, Bure, Wensum and Deben
Owned 43% by Tullow Exploration Ltd, 23% by AGIP (UK) Ltd, 23% by Superior Oil (UK) Ltd, and 10% by Centrica Resources Ltd. Production from all five fields began in October 1986. Thames was discovered in December 1973; Yare in May 1969; Bure in May 1983; and Wensum in October 1985. They are run by Tullow Oil as the Thames complex. Connects to the Tullow Bacton terminal via the Thames pipeline. Bought from AgipAgip
Agip is an Italian automotive gasoline and diesel retailer established in 1926. It is a subsidiary of the multinational petroleum company Eni.In 2003, Eni S.p.A...
(of Italy) by Tullow in 2003. The fields are named after the River Thames, the Yare
River Yare
The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches the river connects with the navigable waterways of The Broads....
, Bure
River Bure
The River Bure is a river in the county of Norfolk, England, most of it in The Broads. The Bure rises near Melton Constable, upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of navigation. Nowadays, the head of navigation is downstream at Coltishall Bridge...
, Wensum
River Wensum
The River Wensum is a chalk fed river in Norfolk, England and a tributary of the River Yare despite being the larger of the two rivers. The complete river is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation ....
of Norfolk, and the Deben
River Deben
The River Deben is a river in Suffolk rising in Debenham -to be precise it has two main sources but the others are mostly fields runoff then , passes through Woodbridge, turning into a tidal estuary before entering the North Sea at Felixstowe Ferry...
of Suffolk.
The Thames complex has one Solar
Solar Turbines
Solar Turbines Incorporated, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., designs and manufactures industrial gas turbines for on- and off-shore electrical power generation, for marine propulsion and for producing, processing and transporting natural gas and oil. Solar Turbines is one of the...
Mars, and one Ruston
Ruston (engine builder)
Ruston & Hornsby, later known as Ruston, was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England, the company's history going back to 1840. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels. Other products included cars, steam...
Tornado and TB5 gas turbines for its compressor.
Welland NW & Welland S
Run by Tullow Oil and owned 34% by Tullow Exploration Ltd, 55% by Esso, and 11% by Consort EU Ltd. Welland NW was discovered in January 1984 and Welland S in June 1984. Production started in September 1990. Situated south-east of the Thames complex to which it connects to Bacton. Named after the River WellandRiver Welland
The River Welland is a river in the east of England, some long. It rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. For much of its length it forms the county boundary between...
.
The Welland proved uneconomical by 2005 and was decommissioned and removed in 2010.
Hewett
This field is what was two other complexes - Dawn, Big Dotty, and Deborah, and Delilah, Della and Little Dotty. It is owned 19% by Phillips Petroleum Company UK Ltd, 19% by AGIP(UK) Ltd, 11% by Superior Oil(UK) Ltd, 23% by Centrica Resources Ltd, 20% by Tullow Exploration Ltd, and 8% by Lasmo North Sea plcLasmo
Lasmo plc was a leading British oil and gas exploration and production business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
. It was discovered in October 1966 and production started in July 1969. It has two pipelines to Bacton - the Thames and Hewett pipelines. It is the set of fields nearest to Bacton being 25 miles (40.2 km) east of Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
. It was run by Phillips Petroleum, which became ConocoPhillips, and then run by Tullow Oil. By 2011 the Hewett complex is predicted to become economically unviable.
Horne and Wren
South of the Thames complex. Production started in June 2005. Bought by Tullow from BPBP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
in 2004, then 50% sold to Centrica
Centrica
Centrica plc is a multinational utility company, based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America. Centrica is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the UK, and one of the largest suppliers of electricity, operating under the trading names "Scottish Gas" in...
. Operated before 2004 by Shell.
Tristan
It is owned and operated by Perenco Gas UK Ltd. Discovered in May 1976 and production started in November 1992. Connects to Bacton via the Welland platform, and situated east of the Thames complex, to which it connects. Named after TristanTristan
Tristan is one of the main characters of the Tristan and Iseult story, a Cornish hero and one of the Knights of the Round Table featuring in the Matter of Britain...
of the Arthurian legend.
Wissey
South-west of the Thames complex, directly south of the Welland gas field. Named after the River WisseyRiver Wissey
The River Wissey is a river in Norfolk, eastern England. It rises near Bradenham, and flows for nearly to join the River Great Ouse at Fordham...
in Norfolk.
Arthur
Situated between the Hewett (to the west) and Thames (to the east) complexes. Connects to Bacton via the Thames complex. Production started in January 2005. Formerly owned by Tullow and run by Esso. Named after King ArthurKing Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
.
Perenco gas fields
The Lancelot complex is connected to Bacton via the LAPS pipeline (Lancelot Area Pipeline System), and it is also known as the LAPS complex. It is run by the Anglo-French PerencoPerenco
Perenco is an independent Anglo-French oil and gas company with a headquarters in London. It has exploration and production activities in 16 countries across the globe .Perenco is involved in operations both...
.
Gawain
Operated by Perenco UK Limited. It is owned by Perenco Gas UK Ltd 50% and Tullow Oil Ltd 50%. Discovered in December 1988 with production starting in October 1995. It connects to Bacton via the Thames complex. Situated north-east of the Thames field, completely separate (to the east) of the other Arthurian-named fields.Galahad
Operated by Perenco UK Limited. It is owned 72.23% by Perenco Gas UK Ltd, 15% by Chieftain Exploration UK Ltd, 10% by Premier Pict Petroleum Ltd, and 3% by Chieftain International North Sea Ltd. Discovered in December 1975 and production started in November 1995. Connects to the ConocoPhillips plant at Bacton via the Lancelot platform.Guinevere
Operated by Perenco UK Limited. It is owned 49.5% by Perenco Gas UK Ltd, 25.5% Perenco UK Limited and 25% Nobel Energy Inc. Discovered in May 1988 and production started in June 1993. Connects to the ConocoPhillips plant at Bacton via the Lancelot platform. Situated west of the (central) Lancelot field.Camelot N and Camelot C & S
Run by Petrofac, and owned by ERT. Camelot N discovered in November 1967 and Camelot C & S discovered in June 1987. Production started in October 1989. Connects to Bacton via the Leman complex.Excalibur
The northern-most Arthurian gas field in the Lancelot complex.Perenco gas fields
Trent
It is owned by Perenco UK Ltd. It was previously owned and operated by ARCOARCO
Atlantic Richfield Company is an oil company with operations in the United States as well as in Indonesia, the North Sea, and the South China Sea. It has more than 1,300 gas stations in the western part of the United States. ARCO was originally formed by the merger of East Coast-based Atlantic...
(Atlantic Richfield Company), and is now run by Perenco
Perenco
Perenco is an independent Anglo-French oil and gas company with a headquarters in London. It has exploration and production activities in 16 countries across the globe .Perenco is involved in operations both...
. It was discovered in March 1991 and production started in November 1996. It connects to the Perenco Bacton terminal via the Eagles pipeline. Has two Solar
Solar Turbines
Solar Turbines Incorporated, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., designs and manufactures industrial gas turbines for on- and off-shore electrical power generation, for marine propulsion and for producing, processing and transporting natural gas and oil. Solar Turbines is one of the...
Mars gas turbines for the compressor.
Orwell
It is owned by Tullow Oil Ltd. It was run by ARCO, and is now run by Parenco. It was discovered in February 1990 with production starting in August 1993. East of the Thames complex, to which it connects, and furthest east of the Bacton gas fields. Bought by Tullow from ChevronTexaco (ChevTex, since May 2005 known as ChevronChevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
) in 2004. Named after the River Orwell
River Orwell
The River Orwell flows through the county of Suffolk in England. Its source river, above the tidal limit at Stoke Bridge, is known as the River Gipping. It broadens into an estuary at Ipswich where the Ipswich dock has operated since the 7th century and then flows into the North Sea at Felixstowe...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.