Breagh Gas Field, North Sea

The Breagh Gas Field is an operational offshore gas field located in the UK sector of the southern North Sea.

The field is operated by INEOS Energy with 70% stake. Sterling Resources owns the remaining 30% interest.

It was discovered in 1997 and was awarded development consent in 2011. The offshore field achieved first gas in October 2013.

Breagh Gas Field Location and Geology

The Breagh Gas Field is situated in UK Blocks 42/12a, 42/13a and 42/8a. The field lies around 65km off the coast of north-east UK at a water depth of 59m.

The carboniferous reservoir is located depth of 2,470m. It is composed of multiple reservoir intervals featuring sandstones of the Early Carboniferous Yoredale Formation.

Breagh, at the southern margin of the Dogger Shelf, is formed by a large 100km² four way dip closure under the Permian Zechstein formation.

The crest of the structure is at 2,200m below sea level.

The field is expected to contain total reserves of approximately 19.8 billion cubic metres (bcm).

Background

The Breagh field was discovered in July 1997 by discovery well 42/13-2. It was subsequently proved by development well 42/13a-A1.

Initially, the field was operated by RWE Dea.

The 70% interest in the asset held by RWE Dea was transferred to INEOS in 2015, when the latter acquired all UK North Sea gas fields owned by the DEA Group.

At that time, the assets purchased by INEOS accounted nearly 8% of the UK’s annual gas production.

Breagh Field Development

The Breagh gas field development comprises 12-slot minimum facilities wellhead platform with 11 production wells.

A 100km long 20-inch offshore wet gas export pipeline and an additional 11km of onshore pipeline transport the production to the North Sea Midstream Partners (NSMP)-owned Teesside Gas Processing Plant.

The offshore pipeline runs until Coatham Sands, from where the onshore pipeline carries the gas to the processing plant.

After processing, gas is delivered into the United Kingdom’s National Transmission System (NTS).

The field is usually uncrewed, and it is claimed to have one of the lowest carbon intensities of gas fields in the UK.

Overall, the pipeline and the gas treatment facility have a combined capacity of around 11.3 million cubic metres of natural gas per day.

The Breagh field was developed in phases.

The first phase of development focused on the western area and initially included seven wells. These wells produced natural gas from the sandstone layers within the Yoredale formation.

In October 2024, an electric-driven compressor at the Teesside Gas Processing Plant began operations to boost gas flows from the Breagh Gas Field.

Electric driven compressors have a lower carbon footprint than the gas alternative, ensuring Breagh remains one of the lowest carbon intensity gas fields in the UK.

Breagh Field Platform

In October 2011, the Breagh Alpha (A) platform was installed at the west side of the field.

The platform’s substructure and deck have a weight of approximately 3,400 tonnes. It is supported by eight piles with a total weight of an additional 2,000 tonnes.

The jacket is 85m tall, with the topsides weighing 1,400 tonnes.

It has a crane, a helideck, 12 well slots, a gas production manifold and seven risers.

Key Contractors Involved

PX group won the contract to install onshore pipelines, and the fibre-optic control cable. Integrated Utility Services was responsible for 66kV and 11kV Primary Substation Infrastructure Project at the Teesside Gas Processing Plant.

In 2010, Dutch offshore contractor Allseas secured the contract for the engineering, installation and pre-commissioning of the offshore pipeline and associated fibre optic cable.

RWE Dea UK hired Heerema Vlissingen to engineer, procure, and construct (EPC) the platform for the Breagh development. The platform was built at Heerema’s Vlissingen yard in the Netherlands.