THE Buzzard Phase 2 project has been deferred by CNOOC.
The Chinese operator had been aiming for first oil from Buzzard’s second phase later this year.
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However, the firm has now said the project would be “postponed to 2021” after announcing it through CNOOC International’s mid-year review last week.
First sanctioned in 2017, CNOOC, which was then Nexen UK, said it was a £500million-plus project which would extend the production life of the Buzzard field by up to 10 years.
Buzzard Phase 2 is the only one of CNOOC’s projects globally that was due for 2020 first oil to be deferred.
A spokesman for CNOOC International said: “CNOOC Petroleum Europe Limited has worked with its Buzzard field partners and Buzzard Phase II (BPII) Alliance partners to develop and agree a revised project schedule that targets first oil for BPII in 2021.
“The schedule was revised due to factors including the operational impact of COVID-19 safety measures implemented onshore and offshore, and the postponement of the FPS (Forties Pipeline System) shutdown to which key project activity had been aligned.
“Despite the challenges of COVID-19, we are delighted to have safely continued with drilling activity on the COSLPioneer, the topsides module is now mechanically complete and significant progress is being made with the subsea bundle fabrication. We look forward to working with our partners to safely deliver this major project.”
