Gas Plant

Construction work commenced on the site of the new Shetland Gas Plant in the first half of 2010 and with the earthworks now complete, the site has been handed over to the main EPCC contractor - Petrofac.

Initial preparations  focused on two parallel projects designed to pave the way for construction of the plant .

Providing site access

Civil engineers Roadbridge were appointed to build the 2.4km access road and to complete preparatory earthwork at the site of the SGP. Work officially got underway with a ceremonial peat cutting ceremony, attended by senior TOTAL management and Secretary of State at the Scotland Office, David Mundell MP, on 21 May 2010.

Laying the ground

The site of the SGP is located on a steep slope located to the east of the existing Sullom Voe Gas Terminal.

Extensive preparatory earthworks were required to terrace the landscape in advance of construction work commencing . Material excavated from the back of each level was used to extend the front of each terrace –additional material was obtained from local quarries.

During this terracing process  TOTAL constructed  2 peat stores to accommodate the 700,000³m of excavated upland peat.

A modular construction

Following the appointment of  Petrofac as the main EPC contractor work has begun on installing the SGP’s foundations and utilities, such as power and water

“The construction process involved in building the SGP relies on well-established technology,” explains Christophe Aubin, SGP Package Manager. “Each section of the plant will be delivered as a pre-fabricated module to the site. It’s the most efficient way of constructing such a facility and limits exposure to poor weather conditions.

“The plant itself has been designed to take into account the harsh weather conditions that can be experienced in the area. All sensitive instrumentation has been fully-weather proofed. The integrated control and Safety System will be housed to indoors to both protect the equipment and allow for regular inspections.”

Once operational, the newly constructed Shetland Gas Plant will be capable of processing up to 500MMscfd (million standard cubic feet of gas per day) and will employ up to 80 people.