General – Decommissioning
TAQA UK has awarded a contract for the decommissioning of its Brae Alpha platform topsides in the Central North Sea to Allseas.
The engineering, preparation, removal, and disposal contract (also known as EPRD) for Brae Alpha is scheduled to commence later this year.
Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit, the world’s largest heavy-lift vessel, will carry out the removal of the 33,000-tonne topside and 12,000 tonne upper jacket in two separate campaigns.
Sandy Hutchison, Managing Director of TAQA UK, said: “This milestone reinforces TAQA’s position as a leader in safe, efficient late-life asset management and decommissioning. It represents a major project for a platform that has played a significant role in the UK’s energy security over four decades.’’
Allseas is also undertaking the EPRD decommissioning programme for all four of TAQA UK’s Northern North Sea assets, including North Cormorant, Tern, Eider, and Cormorant Alpha, in what remains the largest single offshore decommissioning contract awarded in the UK to date.
TAQA has committed to reusing or recycling at least 95% of recovered topsides material.
Brae Alpha began production in 1983 and is located approximately 170 miles north-east of Aberdeen. It has produced over 636 million barrels of oil equivalent during its lifetime.
