TotalEnergies, the French energy giant, is currently conducting an investigation into the failure of a heating system section at its Shetland Gas Plant on the north coast of the main island of the Shetland Isles. The plant processes gas from offshore fields on the UK Continental Shelf. Following the failure, the plant was shut down, and an investigation was initiated.
The heating system failure resulted in a steam release, prompting the shutdown. TotalEnergies, in collaboration with its joint venture partner Kistos, is actively investigating the root cause of the incident. Simultaneously, the oil major has commenced the replacement work for the failed section.
Both investigative and replacement workstreams need to be completed to ensure the safe restart of the facility. TotalEnergies and Kistos anticipate that the Shetland Gas Plant will come back online within the next two weeks. Kistos affirmed that it remains in regular contact with the operator, TotalEnergies, and will provide further updates as necessary.
The Shetland Gas Plant is a crucial component of TotalEnergies' West of Shetland gas project, covering both producing fields, such as the Greater Laggan Area (GLA) fields – Laggan, Tormore, Edradour, and Glenlivet gas fields – and undeveloped fields like Glendronach. The plant, originally designed for processing gas from the Laggan–Tormore fields, supplies approximately 8% of the UK's TotalEnergies gas consumption, sufficient for around two million households. Despite the temporary shutdown, Kistos maintains its production outlook for 2023 within the guided range of 8,500 to 10,500 boe/d.
