BP, on behalf of the Schiehallion co-venturers Shell and OMV, announced today that the new Glen Lyon floating production storage and offload (FPSO) vessel has started sea trials as it begins its journey towards the west of Shetland where it will serve as the hub for the 450 million barrel Quad204 development in the North Sea.

The new FPSO is a key element of the multi-billion pound Quad204 project, which is re-developing the Schiehallion and Loyal fields, extending production out to 2035 and possibly beyond.

“This important milestone is consistent with BP’s strategy to sustain a competitive, high quality business in the North Sea region” said Trevor Garlick, Regional President for BP’s North Sea business. “The Schiehallion and Loyal oil fields are established assets with a strong future and through this investment, we and our co-venturers Shell and OMV are taking some significant steps to maximise the greater potential we now see in these fields.”

The project involves connecting and commissioning the new FPSO, the drilling of several new production and injection wells, and upgrading the subsea (seabed) pipeline, manifold and wellhead infrastructure that will enable the full development of the reserves.

Schiehallion and Loyal have produced nearly 400 million barrels of oil since production started in 1998. The Quad204 development aims to access the remaining estimated 450 million barrels of resource still available.

BP and its co-venturers have developed a strong track record west of Shetland over the past two decades and will continue to look to the latest innovations to maximise recovery from these fields, including the potential use of leading-edge polymer-based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology.

The new Glen Lyon FPSO measures 270 metres long by 52 metres wide. It will be able to process and export up to 130,000 barrels of oil a day and store up to 800,000 barrels.

BP continues to award contracts for this major development project, with almost £45m of business recently granted to UK-based companies to provide services and equipment for the new FPSO, including hook-up support and follow-on commissioning work for the vessel.

BP owns 36.3%, with other interests as follows: Shell 54.03%, OMV 9.67%.

About BP in the North Sea

The North Sea is an important region for BP and it expects to sustain a significant business here for the long term.
BP is continuing to invest in its major projects west of Shetland, Clair Ridge and Quad204, both of which will bring important new oil into production.
BP is also investing significantly in the reliability and integrity of existing assets through an extensive renewal programme. The company recently completed a Magnus life extension programme and announced a £670m investment in the ETAP cluster of fields to extend its future until at least 2035.
BP has an active exploration and appraisal programme in the North Sea. The company completed a six well appraisal programme at Greater Clair at the end of 2014 and will be drilling the South Farragon prospect in the central North Sea at the beginning of 2016.
BP was awarded 12 licence blocks across the northern and central North Sea as part of last year’s 28th licensing round.

Recent UK contract awards for Quad 204 include:

- £27 million award to Amec Foster Wheeler for FPSO hook-up and commissioning support;
- £6 million award to Emerson Process Management for commissioning and support for an integrated controls safety system;
- £2.9 million award to Cape for the provision of scaffolding services;
- £2.6 million award to Enermech for winch engineering and associated operations and materials;
- £2.5 million award to Amec Foster Wheeler for FPSO follow-on engineering;
- £2 million award to qedi for provision of electrical and instrumentation technicians;
- £250,000 award to Asco for warehousing;
- £200,000 award to Oceaneering for umbilical hook-up and commissioning.

About BP

Over the past 10 years, BP has invested more than $90 billion in the U.S. – more than any other energy company. BP is a leading producer of oil and gas and produces enough energy annually to light nearly the entire country for a year. Employing more than 18,000 people in all 50 states, BP supports nearly 200,000 additional jobs through all of its business activities.