Planets gas fields

Country| United Kingdom
Region| North Sea
Location/blocks| 47, 48 & 49
Offshore/onshore| Offshore
Operators| see table
Field history
Discovery| From 1972
Start of production| 1995
Peak of production| see table
Production
Producing formations| Rotligend sandstone

The Planets gas fields are small natural gas producing areas in the UK sector of the southern North Sea, their names are associated with the planets and moons of the Solar System. The fields started gas production from 1995, although some have now (2021) ceased operation.

## The fields

[edit]

The Planets fields are in Quadrants 47, 48 and 49 and have been owned and operated by a range of successive organisations. The fields are named after planets, minor planets, moons and asteroids. The planetary fields reservoir parameters are as shown.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

The Planets fields reservoir parameters  Field  | Block | Coordinates  | Gas reservoir  | Gas reserves (billion cubic feet (bcf))  | Discovered  | Licensee(s), Operator(s)

|
|
|
|
|
|

Atlas (part of Saturn)  | 48/10  | –  | Rotliegendes sandstone |  |  | Conoco, ConocoPhillips, Chrysaor, Harbour Energy
Callisto (part of Jupiter)  | 49/22  | 53.242478 2.387881  | Rotliegendes sandstone  |  | 1990  | Conoco, ConocoPhillips, Chrysaor, Harbour Energy
Callisto North  | 49/22  |  |  |  |  |
Ceres (formerly Barbarossa)  | 47/9c  | 53.779844 0.715501  | Rotliegendes sandstone  |  | 1982  | Centrica, Venture, Spirit Energy
Eris (formerly Channon)  | 47/8c  | 53.779844 0.569834  | Rotliegendes sandstone  |  |  | Centrica, Venture, Spirit Energy
Europa (part of Jupiter)  | 49/22  | 53.247869 2.297147  | Rotliegendes sandstone  |  |  | Conoco, ConocoPhillips, Chrysaor, Harbour Energy
Ganymede (part of Jupiter)  | 49/22  | 53.324767 2.238108  | Rotliegendes sandstone  |  | 1972  | Conoco, ConocoPhillips, Chrysaor, Harbour Energy
Hyperion (part of Saturn)  | 48/10  | –  | Rotliegendes sandstone  |  |  | Conoco, ConocoPhillips, Chrysaor, Harbour Energy
Jupiter (Callisto, Europa, Ganymede and Sinope)  | –  | –  | –  |  |  |
Mercury | 47/9b  | 53.766667 0.633333  | Rotliegendes sandstone  | 465 bcf (with Neptune)  | 1983  | BG, Perenco
Mimas | 48/09a  | 53.762931 1.706019  |  |  | 1989  | Conoco, ConocoPhillips, Chrysaor, Harbour Energy
Minerva  | 47/3  | 53.950147 0.594915  |  |  |  | Perenco
Neptune | 47/4b  | 53.483333 0.783333  | Rotliegendes sandstone  | 465 bcf (with Neptune)  | 1985  | BG, Perenco
Rhea (part of Saturn)  | 48/10  | –  | Rotliegendes sandstone  |  |  | Conoco, ConocoPhillips, Chrysaor, Harbour Energy
Saturn (Atlas, Hyperion, Rhea)  | 48/10a  | 53.800944 2.026389  | Rotliegendes sandstone  |  |  | Conoco, ConocoPhillips, Chrysaor, Harbour Energy
Sinope (part of Jupiter)  | 49/22  |  |  |  |  | Conoco, ConocoPhillips, Chrysaor, Harbour Energy
Tethys | 49/11b  | 53.659256 2.125656  |  |  |  | Conoco, ConocoPhillips, Chrysaor, Harbour Energy

## Developments

[edit]

The fields were developed with an array of platforms and subsea completions. Production from the fields was routed via existing infrastructure to the onshore Easington and the (now closed) Theddlethorpe gas terminals.[6] [7] [8]

Field  | Water depth, metres  | Field installations  | Export to  | Export pipeline, length and diameter (inches)  | Production started  | Status

|
|
|
|
|
|

Atlas  | –  | See Saturn  | –  | –  | –  | –
Callisto  | 22  | Subsea wellhead ZM  | Ganymede ZD Platform  | 12”  | 1995  | Ceased production 2016
Callisto North  |  |  |  |  |  |
Ceres  | 29  | Subsea wellhead  | Mercury Platform  | 6”  | 2010  |
Eris  | 41  | Subsea wellhead  | Mercury Platform  | 8”  | 2010  |
Europa  | 35  | Steel Platform EZ  | Tee on ZM–Ganymede pipeline  | 12”  | 2000  | Ceased production 2016
Ganymede  | 35  | Steel Platform ZD  | LOGGS PR Platform  | 20 km, 18”  | 1995  | Ceased production 2016
Hyperion  | –  | See Saturn  | –  | –  | –  | –
Jupiter  | –  | –  | –  | –  | –  | –
Mercury  | 30  | Subsea wellhead  | Cleeton Platform  | 10”  | 1999  | Part of Easington Catchment Area development
Mimas  | 27  | Steel Platform MN  | Saturn Platform  | 13.5 km, 10”  | 2006  |
Minerva  | 40  | Steel Platform  | Cleeton Platform  | 12”  | 2003  |
Neptune  | 47  | Steel Platform  | Cleeton Platform  | 16”  | 1999  | Part of Easington Catchment Area development
Rhea  | –  | See Saturn  | –  | –  | –  | –
Saturn  | 26  | Steel Platform ND  | LOGGS PR Platform  | 43 km, 14”  | 2005  |
Saturn (south part)  | 30  | Subsea wellheads Annabel AB1 and AB2  | Audrey A (WD) platform  | 17.8 km, 10"  | 2005  | Decommissioned 2016
Sinope  | 35  | Subsea wellhead  | Tee between

Europa EZ and

PL1091

|  | 1998  | Ceased production 2016
Tethys  | 32  | Steel Platform TN  | Saturn-LOGGS pipeline  | 3.7km, 10”  | 2006  | Ceased production 2016

## Production

[edit]

The peak and cumulative production of gas from the fields was as follows.[1]

Peak and cumulative gas production  Field  | Peak production, million cubic metres (mcm)/year  | Peak year  | Cumulative production to 2014, mcm

|
|
|

Atlas  | –  | –  | –
Callisto  | 254  | 1996  | 1,377
Callisto North  | –  | –  | –
Ceres  | 182  | 2014  | 218
Eris  | 380  | 2014  | 227
Europa  | 451  | 2001  | 2,132
Ganymede  | 1,708  | 1996  | 7,734
Hyperion  | –  | –  | –
Jupiter  | –  | –  | –
Mercury  | 627  | 2001  | 3,069
Mimas  | 217  | 2008  | 878
Minerva  | 577  | 2003  | 3,601
Neptune  | 2,007  | 2001  | 10,978
Rhea  | –  | –  | –
Saturn  | 1,598  | 2007  | 8,653
Sinope  | 274  | 2000  | 372
Tethys  | 221  | 2007  | 483

The gas production profile from Neptune (in mcm) was as follows:[1]

This graph was using the legacy Graph extension, which is no longer supported. It needs to be converted to the new Chart extension.

|

## See also

[edit]

* Easington Gas Terminal
* Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal
* List of oil and gas fields of the North Sea
* Lincolnshire Offshore Gas Gathering System
* Easington Catchment Area
* A-Fields natural gas fields
* Cleeton gas field and hub

## References

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1. ^ a b c "Oil & Gas Authority installations". www.ogauthority.co.uk. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
2. ^ "OSPAR Inventory of Offshore Installations - 2017". odims.ospar.org. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
3. ^ "The Mercury and Neptune Fields, Blocks 47/9b, 47/4b, 47/5a, 42/29, UK North Sea". lyellcollection.org. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
4. ^ Department of Trade and Industry (1994). The Energy Report. London: HMSO. ISBN 0115153802.
5. ^ Elam, S.D. (2006). "First Gas after 40 Years - The Geophysical Challenges of the Saturn Gas Complex". 68th EAGE Conference and Exhibition incorporating SPE EUROPEC 2006. doi:10.3997/2214-4609.201402053. ISBN 978-90-73781-00-9. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
6. ^ "Perenco OSPAR Public Statement 2018" (PDF). Retrieved 24 November 2021.
7. ^ "Neptune and Mercury gas fields". abarrelfull.
8. ^ "Decommissioning Programmes LOGGS Satellites Jupiter Area" (PDF). Retrieved 24 November 2021.