Oilfield services provider Petrofac has been selected by Hartshead Resources to conduct an engineering study to define the Phase I offtake route from its Somerville and Anning gas fields in the Southern North Sea.

Petrofac explained in a statement on Tuesday that the study aims to define an efficient and fast route to increase the UK’s energy security by making the most of Shell’s existing infrastructure in the Southern North Sea.

It will provide a basis for the design and cost estimate, and the brownfield modifications needed, to tie-in Hartshead’s proposed new facilities to Shell’s Corvette and Leman A platforms. From there, the gas will be transported to Bacton for onshore processing and delivery to the UK’s transmission system, Petrofac said.

Hartshed agreed with Shell to undertake the engineering study for the tie-in of Hartshead’s Phase I gas field development to Shell’s infrastructure back in August 2022.

Hartshead is the operator of License P2607, which contains multiple gas fields including the Somerville and Anning. These two are part of the Phase I development.

Hartshead’s field development planning work for these two fields is underway. Following the submission of the Phase I development Concept Select Report (CSR) to the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) in May 2022, the company has received a “Letter of No Objection”, which finalised the “Assessment Phase” of the field development and allowed entry into the “Authorisation Phase”.

Hartshead intends to complete the Front-End Engineering & Design (FEED) stage and define the gas export route during 2022/2023 with a view to taking a Final Investment Decision (FID) on the development, including new platforms, in 2023 and achieving the first gas in late 2024.

The scope of the study by Petrofac includes offshore construction support for the subsea pipeline tie-in activities on the Corvette to Leman Alpha export pipeline, communication connections, pipework for system control and export route options and control room integration.

Nick Shorten, Chief Operating Officer for Petrofac’s Asset Solutions business said: “It’s great to see Petrofac’s considerable engineering expertise helping to maximise economic recovery. Using Shell’s existing infrastructure to tap into Hartshead’s gas fields will efficiently help support the UK’s energy security at this critical time.”

This is Petrofac’s second contract award this week following a two-year deal for the well management of Dana Petroleum’s North Sea assets announced on Monday.