Shell U.K. Exploration & Production has won U.K. Department of Trade & Industry approval to develop Mallard field as a subsea satellite of Kittiwake platform.
The Shell U.K. Ltd./Esso Exploration & Production U.K. Ltd. operating joint venture said total cost of the development, with two subsea wellheads and a 15-km pipeline, will be £ 100 million ($150 million).
Mallard will be the first high-temperature/high-pressure discovery to be brought into production by Shell/Expro.
A cooling coil will be installed alongside the wellheads, to bring the temperature within conventional limits (see Watching the World, this page).
Mallard, on U.K. North Sea Block 21/19, has estimated reserves of 25 million bbl of oil and 17 bcf of gas. Production is expected to start in October 1997 and reach 16,000 b/d of oil and 11 MMcfd of gas.
Oil and gas from Mallard will be processed in a new module to be installed on Kittiwake platform.
Mallard's oil will join exports by tanker from Kittiwake, while gas will be sent by pipeline to St. Fergus terminal.
Novel tender process
Shell/Esso noted the development scheme was chosen using an innovative tendering exercise, in which each contractor was paid to develop a technical solution and then tender for the contract.
Contracts awarded to date are to: Brown & Root/AOC Ltd., Aberdeen, for engineering and modifications to Kittiwake platform; Allseas Marine Contractors SA of Chatel-St. Denis, Switzerland, for pipelines and cooling coil; Sedco-Forex, Aberdeen, for drilling; ABB Vetco Gray Ltd., Aberdeen, for subsea trees; Kvaerner FSSL Ltd., Aberdeen, for subsea controls; SLP Engineering Ltd., Middlesbrough, U.K., for module fabrication; and Saipem U.K. Ltd., London, for offshore lifting of the module.
Mallard will be operated by Shell/Expro and is owned 38% by Shell, 38% by Esso, and 24% by Total Oil Marine plc.
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