Andrew oilfield

The Andrew oilfield is a relatively small hydrocarbon field in the UK sector of the North Sea, 230 kilometres (140 mi) North-East of Aberdeen and it is operated by BP.

BNOC/Britoil originally discovered petroleum in the Palaeocene rock in block 16/28 of the UKCS in 1974, with further appraisal work conducted by ConocoPhillips the following year.

It was not until twenty years later when BP put together an alliance of seven contractors to share in the risk of development, including Brown & Root, Santa Fe, Saipem, Highlands Fabricators, Allseas, Emtunga and Trafalgar House.

The Andrew is estimated to have 150 million barrels (24×10^6 m3) of liquid hydrocarbons, mostly oil, with some natural gas condensate.

There is estimated to be 245 million cubic feet (6.9×10^6 m3) of recoverable gas, though the lower cretaceous reservoir is not fully appraised.

The Andrew field is produced using a fixed platform, with topsides facilities supported on a four leg steel jacket.

However, the experience over the past ten years has shown that the increased cost of maintaining an extra valve does not match the savings.

This small Palaeocene field was developed by a dedicated team at BP's North Sea headquarters in Dyce, though it has been producing through two wells since 2006.