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In light of the low oil prices associated with the coronavirus pandemic EnQuest decided to cease production on
Thistle. In September 2020 the UK Oil and Gas Authority accepted the Cessation of Production justification. In September 2021 EnQuest submitted its decommissioning plan for the Thistle
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The jacket is a conventional steel tower structure approximately 183 meters tall with a base measuring 85 meters by 82 meters and weighs 31,500 tonnes with an integral Module Sub Frame (MSF), and is secured by steel piles driven 143 meters into the seabed. The
Thistle Alpha platform was installed and
163:
On 21 October 2019 all production on the
Thistle Alpha was shut down and the platform was fully evacuated as a precaution following a routine subsea inspection of the jacket's structural condition. On board at the time were 115 staff, who were removed by in-field and UK Coastguard helicopters to the
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The
Thistle Late Life Extension (LLX) Strategy aims to recover over 35 million barrels of oil over the next 15 years from the Thistle and Deveron oil fields, using a mixture of existing well stock and new wells. A drill rig re-activation project has been completed and has successfully delivered
99:
The installation comprises a steel jacket with four main legs, supporting 36 modules arranged on 3 deck levels. 28 of these modules contain the equipment and machinery, which constitute the production, utilities, drilling systems and facilities. The remaining 8 modules situated on the southeast end
52:
fourth round in 1972, and the first well on the site was drilled and completed in July 1973 when the
Thistle oil field was confirmed as a commercial discovery. The oil has a gravity of 38.4°API. The oil field is estimated to have a reserve of roughly 824 million barrels of oil. The nearby Deveron
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Oil is imported from the Dons field via an 8" pipeline, and combined with oil produced by the
Thistle platform. The combined oil production is exported from the Thistle platform through a 16" pipeline through the Brent Pipeline System via the Dunlin and Cormorant platforms to the Sullom Voe Oil
146:
The
Thistle LLX strategy will also ensure that the Thistle platform will be operable to 2025 and beyond. To achieve this, a series of major activities have started including initiatives to provide reliable power, improve structural and topsides integrity, upgrade safety and control systems and
103:
Oil from the
Thistle and Deveron reservoirs is recovered by platform wells. The oil is processed through a two-stage production separation system. Stabilized oil is metered and exported using the main oil line pumps to the Brent Pipeline System. The original gas compression system has been
53:
field, also produced over the
Thistle Alpha platform, was discovered in 1972 following the successful completion of a second well on the site. A 1997 seismic re-interpretation site's estimated the reserves to be roughly 61.3 million barrels of oil.
130:
in 2008 and commenced the
Thistle Late Life Extension (LLX) strategy. This strategy is currently delivering twice as much production in 2012 as was delivered in 2008, with the potential for more in the future.
115:(NLGP) system. A portion of the imported gas is used for as fuel to provide the Thistle installation with power, with the remainder exported to the Dunlin and Northern Producer installations.
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Production through the Thistle Alpha platform production system peaked at 130,000 barrels per day in the early 1980s and fell to a low of about 3,750 barrels per day in 2008.
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of the installation contain living quarters (LQ), offices, the central control room (CCR), the helideck and workshops. The platform was installed on the jacket in 1978.
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33:. The oil field, discovered in September 1972 by Signal Oil and Gas Company, is produced over the Thistle Alpha platform, located 125 nautical miles northeast of
147:
simplify the platform oil and production and water treatment processes. These activities are scheduled to run from 2012 to 2015, dependent upon receipt of the
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became the operator. The site is currently operated in partnership between EnQuest and BP, with EnQuest holding over 99% of the total ownership of the site.
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The Thistle Alpha platform is a fixed installation, which consists of a 60-slot drilling and production platform. It was built by Laing Offshore at the
351:
Sorrell, Steve; Miller, Richard; Bentley, Roger; Speirs, Jamie (14 May 2010). "Energy Policy – Oil futures: A comparison of global supply forecasts".
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decommissioned as a result of a small volume of gas separated from the oil being flared. Produced water is cleaned and discharged to the sea.
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on the site in 1978. Ownership of the operations licence for the site was subsequently transferred to
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In 2014 the Thistle Alpha produced more than 3 million barrels of oil, the first time since 1997.
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several new wells and well renovations to date with an industry leading-safety record.
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United Kingdom Oil and Gas Fields: Commemorative Millennium Volume
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United Kingdom Oil and Gas Fields: Commemorative Millennium Volume
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in 2004 before the de-merging of Lundin's UK assets in 2010, when
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614:"EnQuest hands in decom plan for Thistle Alpha topsides"
593:"Workers evacuated from North Sea platform off Shetland"
525:"P&J Energy | Enquest sets new safety record"
428:"Fabricom awarded £1 million contract by EnQuest"
379:"Lundin Petroleum recommences production on Thistle"
287:http://www.enquest.com/thistle-alpha-20121217.pdf
186:North Sea Oil and Gas: A Report to Parliament
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159:Thistle Alpha platform structural concerns
198:Department of Trade and Industry (1994).
503:"P&J Energy | Log in to Energy"
461:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
48:Licence P236 was awarded as part of the
250:Gluyas, Jon G.; Hichens, H. M. (2003).
223:Gluyas, Jon G.; Hichens, H. M. (2003).
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577:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
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527:. Pandjenergy.co.uk. 23 September 2011
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298:harding internet – www.harding.co.uk.
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92:Dry Dock, Teesside now renamed TERRC
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328:. McMillan Engineers. Archived from
41:and 275 nautical miles Northeast of
202:. London: HMSO. pp. 90, 142.
184:Department of Trade and Industry,
56:Production commenced for partners
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426:Editor on 1 (19 September 2012).
401:"Share Fair for iPad – 1.1 / iOS"
126:EnQuest took over the field from
505:. Pandjenergy.co.uk. 5 July 2010
16:Large oil field in the North Sea
688:1973 establishments in Scotland
29:in the northern sector of the
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403:. FileDir.com. Archived from
302:. Ableuk.com. Archived from
365:10.1016/j.enpol.2010.04.020
138:Thistle Late Life Extension
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479:. EnQuest. Archived from
113:Northern Leg Gas Pipeline
111:Gas is imported from the
477:"Media – Press releases"
164:Dunlin Alpha platform.
683:Oil fields of Scotland
381:. Lundin-petroleum.com
300:"Able UK Ltd – Photos"
256:. Geological Society.
229:. Geological Society.
84:Thistle Alpha platform
153:Brown Field Allowance
72:in 2003, followed by
678:North Sea oil fields
654:61.36306°N 1.57972°E
151:support through the
650: /
620:. 22 September 2021
618:offshore-energy.biz
483:on 30 December 2012
407:on 16 February 2013
96:completed in 1976.
599:. 22 October 2019.
454:has generic name (
332:on 17 October 2013
306:on 14 January 2013
119:Production history
659:61.36306; 1.57972
200:The Energy Report
23:Thistle oil field
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672:Categories
642:61°21′47″N
624:18 October
209:0115153802
172:References
108:Terminal.
645:1°34′47″E
531:9 January
509:9 January
487:9 January
434:9 January
411:9 January
385:9 January
336:9 January
326:"Samples"
310:9 January
90:Graythorp
31:North Sea
27:oil field
597:BBC News
573:cite web
444:cite web
43:Aberdeen
35:Sumburgh
155:(BFA).
78:EnQuest
62:Britoil
260:
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128:Lundin
74:Lundin
557:(PDF)
550:(PDF)
626:2021
579:link
565:2012
533:2013
511:2013
489:2013
463:link
456:help
436:2013
413:2013
387:2013
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258:ISBN
231:ISBN
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.