Centrica Boosts UK Gas Output

The UK's leading gas marketer Centrica is to spend £60mn ($77.5mn) on its upstream operations offshore northwest England in Morecambe Bay. 

The project to refurbish two 5,000-metric ton platforms in the UK sector of the East Irish Sea, expected to start later this month, will boost output from the fields – formerly highly-prized swing producers but now well beyond their peak – by a total of some 3bn ft³, it said May 3.

The project is just one part of a major investment programme planned for Centrica’s Morecambe Bay operations, both offshore and onshore.

Earlier this year, Centrica announced plans to remove some of the redundant equipment on its South Terminal at the Barrow Gas Terminals in a £15mn project. All the gas from Centrica’s East Irish Sea fields is now processed at the newer North Morecambe Terminal, leading to the planning application to remove some of the oldest equipment at the nearby South Terminal.

Central Morecambe platform

(Credit: Centrica)

Tamsin Lishman, Morecambe Bay Director for Centrica’s Exploration & Production business said: “The Morecambe Bay fields have been a cornerstone of our business since first gas flowed into the Barrow Gas Terminals more than 30 years ago, so we are delighted to continue investing in their future.

“With nearly 300bn ft³ of gas still in place under the East Irish Sea, major projects like this will help ensure we maximise the potential of these fields and continue supplying gas for UK homes and businesses.”

William Powell