Hess taps Petrofac to decommission four Central North Sea wells

LONDON - Petrofac has been awarded a well plugging and abandonment contract with leading independent energy company, Hess Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hess Corporation.

The agreement includes provision of Well Operator and Well Engineering Project Management services for four wells within the Rubie and Renee fields, 200 km north east of Aberdeen. The wells, which were previously shut-in as part of an earlier decommissioning phase, will now be fully abandoned.

Petrofac will be responsible for detailed planning, direct procurement and management of all sub-contracted services, including provision of a semi-submersible rig.

Nick Shorten, managing director for Petrofac Engineering and Production Services West, said “We are delighted to secure our first well engineering scope with Hess. This award builds on our existing track record for delivering Well Operator and Project Management services for clients globally, but specifically in the UKCS where in recent years we have successfully delivered numerous multi-well plug and abandonment campaigns.

“At the end of the asset lifecycle, the focus on cost and schedule remains as important as ever. This award is testament to the approach we take to develop flexible commercial frameworks in line with our clients’ operating strategy – in this instance, the contract includes lumpsum turnkey elements.”

Petrofac became the first outsourced Well Operator to execute fully integrated Well Operator services in 2016. The company’s Well Operator capability evolved from its outsourced Service Operator model and its extensive track record in well project management, enabling Petrofac to provide a standalone or integrated approach to the management of wells, installation and pipeline operations.