Beryl

Beryl Oil Field Profile

Location and Geography

The Beryl Oil Field is located in the North Sea, approximately 200 miles northeast of Aberdeen, UK. It is situated in blocks 9/13a, 9/13b, 9/13c, and 9/13d, with a water depth of about 390 feet (or 1,266 feet as per some sources, though this may be a discrepancy in reporting).

Operator and Ownership

The Beryl Oil Field is operated by Apache Corporation, although the ownership structure has evolved over time. Currently, the field is owned by APA (Apache) and Harbour Energy. Historically, Apache owned 50% of the Beryl Field and was the operator, with other field owners including Hess Ltd. (22.22%), Enterprise Oil Ltd. (22.78%), and OMV (U.K.) Ltd. (5%).

Production Infrastructure

The Beryl Area includes 12 fields that utilize the same production infrastructure. The main production platforms are:

• Beryl Alpha: A 40-slot twin drilling rig, three-leg concrete structure with storage capacity for more than 1 million barrels of oil.
• Beryl Bravo: A 21-slot single drilling rig steel-jacket structure with an oil export line to the Beryl Alpha platform.

Production and Reserves

• The field began production in October 1989.
• Peak production was achieved in 1992.
• As of 2012, the field produced 11,625 barrels of oil and 13 million cubic feet of gas per day.
• The field has recovered 99.32% of its total recoverable reserves, with production expected to continue until it reaches its economic limit in 2026.

Geology

The Beryl field consists of heavily faulted and stratigraphically complex Jurassic and Triassic sandstone reservoir intervals. It includes one primary reservoir, Beryl, and five secondary reservoirs: Katrine/Nevis, Linnhe, Nansen/Eiriksson, Lewis, and Cormorant.

Gas and Oil Export

• Gas is transported via the Scottish Area Gas Evacuation (SAGE) pipeline to the St Fergus Gas Processing Terminal.
• Oil export is facilitated by tanker loading from a single point mooring.

Development and Expansion

• The field was approved for development in 1976, with the installation of the Beryl Alpha platform in 1976 and the Beryl Bravo platform in 1984.
• Other fields within the Beryl Area, such as Nevis, Ness, Buckland, and Skene, were developed in subsequent years.
• In 2011, Apache completed the acquisition of Mobil North Sea Limited from ExxonMobil, which included operating interests in several fields within the Beryl Area.
• Recent expansion projects include the Beryl Infill Development Phase 3 and the Beryl Bravo Development Phase 2, which are currently in the feasibility stage.

Contractors and Upgrades

Several contractors have been involved in the development and maintenance of the Beryl field, including:

• Norwegian Contractors: Beryl Alpha Construction
• Emtunga: Beryl A - Telecomms module
• Saipem: Pipelines T&I
• Redpath de Groot Caledonian: Beryl Bravo Construction
• FoundOcean: Grouting for platforms
• Bibby Offshore: Buckland “C” Development, EPIC
• Global Maritime: Warranty surveyor for loadout and transportation of towheads
• Expro Group Holdings, Archer, Det Norske Veritas Holding, Esvagt, and Global Engineering and Construction Group: Involved in various aspects of the project.

Extended-Reach Drilling (ERD) Upgrades

In 2006, an ERD upgrade was initiated to extend the drilling capabilities of the Beryl Alpha platform. This project involved increasing the drilling radius and maximum working pressure (MWP) to enable the drilling of new platform wells. The upgrade was managed by the drilling contractor and involved significant engineering, procurement, and offshore implementation efforts.

Production Milestones

• By 2012, a total of 223 wells had been drilled to develop the Beryl field and its satellites.
• The field has produced over 1 billion barrels of oil and over 3 trillion cubic feet of gas throughout its life.