Delayed UK Cygnus Field Starts Up

First gas was produced from the UK's Cygnus field on December 13.

The field's start up comes a year behind schedule; it had originally been due to start producing in 2015 and installation work began in 2014.

The start up was announced by Centrica on December 15. French operator Engie told NGW in August that the UK southern North Sea development would not produce until 4Q 2016 as “further delays were encountered in hook-up and commissioning activities.” 

Installation work at the Cygnus field last year (Photo credit: Engie)

Engie E&P operates the field with a 38.75% interest, partnered by Centrica 48.75% and Bayerngas Norge (12.5%).

The £1.4bn ($1.56bn) project, sanctioned in 2012, is expected to contribute about 2bn m³/yr, or 5% to UK gas production, at its peak. Gas will be piped through a new 50-km pipe into the existing Esmond transportation system to Bacton in eastern England.

Engie E&P is a joint venture 70%-owned by French utility Engie and 30% by Chinese sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp. Bayerngas Norge since 2015 is 79.49%-owned by Munich city utility Stadtwerke Munchen, 19.9% by South German utility Bayerngas and 0.61% by Austrian utility Tigas Erdgas Tirol.

Mark Smedley