Type:
Gas
Facility:
Production
Water Depth:
37
Installed:
1985
meters
Block:
47/3d
Design:
Fixed steel
Sub Structure:
2651
Topsides Wgt:
9090
tonnes
tonnes
Intro
Rough B/D (sometimes referred to as Rough BD) is part of the offshore infrastructure in the Rough gas field in the southern North Sea, UKCS. Initially developed as part of a gas production/storage complex on a steel jacket structure installed in the mid-1980s, the field has been repurposed into a gas storage facility.
Field
The Rough field is a significant depleted gas reservoir in the southern North Sea North Sea, originally developed for gas production in the 1980s and repurposed into gas storage. Its geology consists of Permian Rotliegendes sands overlaid by Zechstein salts, suitable for long-term gas containment and seasonal buffer storage.
Facilities
Rough BD’s infrastructure historically supported gas production with multiple wells drilled from fixed platforms (e.g., 47/3 B & BD and 47/8 Alpha). For gas storage operations, wells are used for injection and withdrawal cycles, connected via subsea pipelines to the Easington onshore gas terminal. The platform itself supports wellheads, flowlines, and control systems. Storage operations leverage downhole compressors, injection pumps, and monitoring systems to manage cushion and working gas volumes. Utilities include power generation modules, telecommunications, firewater systems, and safety shutdown equipment. The gas storage facility integrates with onshore infrastructure to balance UK gas supply during peak demand, with a network of wells tied to surface manifolds and controlled from the platform. Accommodation is minimal or unmanned, with remote monitoring and periodic intervention from shore. Stable infrastructure reflects gas storage conversion rather than active hydrocarbon production.
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