Inspec Solutions Ltd have been awarded a significant contract to provide new control & safety systems for the Indefatigable (Inde) & Leman north sea gas fields as part of Perenco’s Southern Hub Asset Rationalisation Project (Sharp) which will combine the two “oversized” Leman and Inde fields into one fit for purpose production hub.

The systems will cover provision of an Integrated Control & Safety System (ICSS) made up of process control, Fire & Gas and Emergency Shutdown/Safety instrumented Systems based on Rockwell & SCAME (Honeywell) technology. The modified platforms will become Normally Unmanned Installations (NUI’s) and will be controlled from the control room of the associated new compression platform, as well as monitored in an onshore control room in Bacton.

Perenco’s intention is to extend the life and cut costs at the “ageing” fields.

The work includes de-manning and simplifying the Inde 23A and Leman 27A facilities into normally unmanned installations removing redundant equipment, the firm said in an update on the Oil and Gas Authority’s projects portal.

Meanwhile a jack-up rig will be converted into a compression platform and bridge-linked to the Leman 27B installation, with production re-routed to that facility.

Production will be sent through to the Bacton gas terminal via the existing PL24 pipeline.

Perenco said the move will result in a “step change” in operational expenditure costs, substantially reducing them.

Leman and Inde were both first discovered in 1966.