Dutch field comes onstream

Wintershall is expanding its natural gas production in the Netherlands, with the coming onstream of the unmanned mini-platform L6-B. The minimum facility platform was built in just nine months and brought to its location off the Dutch North Sea coast in June 2014.

Such platforms can be deployed in particularly shallow waters and can economically produce even from very small natural gas fields. Furthermore, they can cut down on costs thanks to the short time needed for construction and simple installation. The costs for such a platform are less than half of a conventional satellite platform, comments Wintershall.

The platform is located in field L6-B in the middle of a restricted military zone, and Wintershall Noordzee is the first company that is allowed to operate in this area. The installation needs to be as small as possible, and may well be the smallest topside known. The facility is anchored in the seabed through suction piles, rises about 18 metres above the sea and has three decks but no helideck. The facility can accommodate a maximum two producing wells. Since there is only minimum processing equipment on the platform, the expected visit frequency is low. The substructure weighs 1,100 tonnes, the topside just around 100 tonnes. To compare, the close-by platform L8-P4 weighs 4,500 tonnes. From there the mini-platform is controlled, operated and supplied with electricity. A pipeline will transport the gas produced in L6-B to the neighbouring platform L8-P4.

Picture of L6-B – Source: Wintershall