TotalEnergies' Massive North Sea Natural Gas Field on Schedule for Spring Activation

The Danish Underground Consortium (DUC), a collaboration involving TotalEnergies (operator, 43.2%), BlueNord (36.8%), and Nordsøfonden (20%), recently provided an update on the progress of the Tyra redevelopment project. BlueNord, confirming the anticipated timeline for the first gas, referred to TotalEnergies' REMIT notification. The consortium highlighted significant advancements in the final stage of the Tyra II facilities' completion, with substantial work undertaken since October 2023.

Progress on the Tyra II facilities includes the successful execution of leak testing, a critical safety and integrity measure before gas-in, and functional testing of key process machinery essential for gas processing. The Tyra East riser platform Echo has been declared hot, with all pipelines connected. Ongoing activities include the de-isolation of pipelines, deemed a crucial step toward achieving the milestone of first gas. Tyra West has also witnessed noteworthy progress, with the unplugging and de-watering of the first wells, and simultaneous efforts by two wireline teams on the Tyra West B and C platforms for well unplugging.

BlueNord emphasized the extensive work carried out on leak testing, with an expectation that all leak testing will be completed before the first gas export. The consortium places a key focus on ensuring the full functionality of safety and emergency systems before the first gas export. According to TotalEnergies' REMIT notification dated January 22, the project's current restart date of March 31, 2024, remains valid. However, depending on project progress, an earlier restart in March is conceivable.

Furthermore, TotalEnergies shared insights from tests indicating that the ramp-up to maximum technical capacity is anticipated to take four months from restart. Once operational, Tyra II is poised to deliver 2.8 billion cubic meters of gas annually, representing 80% of the forecasted Danish gas production. Historically, Tyra served as a central hub for processing and exporting over 90% of the natural gas from the Danish North Sea. The redevelopment was necessitated by the natural subsidence of the chalk reservoir after years of production.

The redevelopment encompassed three key elements: decommissioning and recycling of the old Tyra platforms, recycling and extension of platform legs on six platforms with new topsides, and the introduction of a completely new process module and accommodation platform. A notable achievement was the installation of the Tyra II process module in October 2022, marked by the deployment of the world's heaviest crane lift at sea, setting a new record. The process module, known as the TEG, plays a crucial role in processing gas from Tyra and five unmanned satellite fields, including Tyra Southeast, Harald, Valdemar, Svend, and Roar. Recent developments include a final investment decision (FID) to drill a well in the Harald East area.t