The Harding Field Development: Achieving Exceptional Safety Performance in the Modern North Sea Cost Reduction Climate
Authors: Simpkins Andrew G. 
Published: October 2008

BP's Harding Field Development uses an innovative concept for North Sea oil production, a permanently installed jack-up platform knownas the TPG 500. The Project was carried out with tight financial and time constraints in thestrict UKCS legislative safety regime.

The management of safety was faced with the challenge of achieving traditionally conflictingrequirements of a mandatory high level of safety performance, and a significant contribution to cost minimisation initiatives.

The paper describes the management strategy for safety which was developed and executed to meet this challenge, and focuses on theimportant techniques employed and on the measure of achievement of the two driving requirements..

INTRODUCTION

Originally discovered in 1988, the Harding Field, previously called Forth, lies some 320km north-east of Aberdeen in the northern North Sea. The field comprises four closely-relatedreservoirs containing crude unlike most others in the North Sea, having a lower gas-oil ratio (250-300scf/bbl) and a higher density (20º API). The two largest reservoirs, HardingCentral and South are being exploited and have combined recoverable reserves of some 185 mmbbis..

Initial feasibility studies suggested that, using traditional technologies and management techniques, development of the field would not k economically viable. Set against abackground of challenging corporate financial hurdles, radical thinking and bold management initiatives transformed the commercial potential of the field. This was acheived to such an extent that it now offers a very high rate of return on investment and is set to achieve the lowest operating cost per barrel of any BP development in North Sea..

Key amongst the reasons for this quantum leap in performance were.The selection of a innovative concept for North Sea oil production, a large, purpose-built jack up platform, known as the TPG 500.Specifically designed for production use, the TPG 500, will b permanently installed on site for the field life of 35 years and provides a fully-integrated drilling, production and accommodation facility.The use of an all-horizontal well completion strategy.This eliminates the need for a separate sub-sea tie-back, as all wells are drilled from the platform, which is locatedmid-way between the two reservoirs.The execution of a much leaner project team strategy.Taking as it's lead recent experience on smaller BP projects, notably the Unity platform development, Harding was the first major BP development to follow the strategy of having only a very small core BP team. At the height of the design, the BP team comprised 15 individuals. Hand-in-hand with this move away from a large client team was the increased level of responsibility boume by the various contracting organisations, most notably the McDermott Engineering, Technip Geoproduction and Costain Taylor Woodrow The overall maxim guiding the BP team's activities was one of trust, but verify.

In addition to the use of the TPG 500, the Development is further characterised by the use of a large, completely submerged concrete Gravity Base Tank (GBT) structure and of a Submerged Turret Loading (STL) system. TheGBT performs dual functions, acting as the foundation structure for the TPG 500.