Despite doubts about its long-term viability, the North Sea still is still attracting significant investment. Sean Ottewell reports.  

 
AMEC has been appointed by BP and its partners, Shell, ConocoPhillips and Chevron, to deliver the engineering and project management services (EPMS) for the main platform design for Clair Ridge, the second phase of the giant Clair oil field, West of Shetland.
 
The work, which is already underway, is valued at £150m (€186m) and follows the completion of the conceptual engineering studies and the define phase of the Clair Ridge project. All are part of BP's global agreement with AMEC.
 
The award will see AMEC deliver detailed engineering and project management services for the construction and installation phase of two new bridge-linked platforms. This includes detail design, follow-on engineering, site support, plus procurement, supply chain services, materials management and information management services for the whole project. The work will be carried out by a combined team of 600 technical experts based in AMEC's London offices.
 
The two new platforms are due to be installed in 2015, with production scheduled to start in 2016. BP's £4.5b (€5.6b) capital investment will give access to 640m barrels of recoverable oil, and see up to 120,000 barrels/day at peak, extending the life of the field to 2050 (Fig. 1).
 
“The award of this latest phase is a mark of confidence in the future of the North Sea, in our engineering expertise, and in our ability to deliver," said AMEC coo Neil Bruce.