FORTIES BLEND QUALITY
The information provided herein is for information only and does not affect the rights or obligations of any party pursuant to applicable FPS Transportation and Processing Agreements or other agreements. The information provided herein is given in good faith but its accuracy is not warranted and INEOS FPS Limited and its affiliates will have no liability to any party arising out of or in connection with the provision of such information or any party's reliance upon it regardless or any negligence or breach of duty of INEOS FPS Limited or its affiliates.
Forties Blend crude oil changed in quality at the beginning of 2007 when crude oil from the Buzzard field began production through the FPS. Although there are over seventy other fields making up Forties Blend, Buzzard is now the largest component field and it has altered the hydrocarbon characteristics of the Blend.
A detailed assay for Forties Blend is published on www.ineos.com and can be accessed using the following link:-
Buzzard is a medium gravity, sour crude with an API of 32.6º and a whole crude sulphur level of 1.44% wt. Distillation of the crude produces a yield structure similar to the Urals Blend exported to North West Europe. Buzzard is sour but is not otherwise poor in quality. The acidity is low with a Total Acid Number of 0.09 mgKOH/g. The pour point is + 6 degrees C and the metals levels reasonably low at 4.8 ppm wt nickel and 13.8 ppm wt vanadium.
We have based the information in this release on Buzzard assay data provided by Nexen, the Buzzard Operator, from appraisal wells drilled some time ago. As updated Buzzard assay data may become available and when such data has been provided to INEOS, we will update the information in the release accordingly. Indications to date are that production from the Buzzard field is consistent with the original assay.
The table below shows a prediction of the proportion of Buzzard oil in Forties Blend over the following 4 months.
We have prepared this using the information provided by Field Operators which INEOS has not overviewed. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information but it does represent the best information made available to the FPS operator by Field Operators.
| Date | Buzzard | Forties Blend unstabilised crude oil (thousands of barrels per day) |
|---|---|---|
| January 21 | 24% | 314.6 |
| February 21 | 23.8% | 320.6 |
| March 21 | 23.4% | 316.5 |
| April 21 | 21.5% | 305.9 |
FPS will endeavour to update the above information on a monthly basis. Please note that the Forties Blend is now showing unstabilised crude oil mbpd instead of stabilised crude oil, as the Buzzard % was taken in relation to unstabilised SCO.
The following table can be used to estimate the approximate properties of the Forties Blend based on the content of Buzzard Crude:
| Buzzard % vol | API | Sul (%wt) |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | 44 | 0.27% |
| 5% | 43.2 | 0.34% |
| 10% | 42.4 | 0.41% |
| 15% | 41.7 | 0.48% |
| 20% | 41 | 0.55% |
| 25% | 40.3 | 0.62% |
| 30% | 39.6 | 0.68% |
| 35% | 39 | 0.75% |
| 40% | 38.4 | 0.81% |
| 45% | 37.8 | 0.87% |
| 50% | 37.2 | 0.93% |
| 55% | 36.7 | 0.99% |
| 60% | 36.2 | 1.05% |
The above table has been reviewed, January 2020.
The proportion of Buzzard oil entering the FPS System for 2021 is shown below:
| Quarter | Week No. | Dates | Actual Buzzard % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Q 2021 | 1 | 4 January to 10 January | 23% |
FPS will endeavour to update the above information on a weekly basis. To view previous quarters for 2010 to 2020 please use the links below:
Impact on Forties Blend crude oil quality during the 2020 summer field and FPS Maintenance season
During the Summer, operators of platforms in the North Sea often take the opportunity of the favourable weather period to perform routine maintenance on their equipment. This can result in individual fields reducing crude production or being taken off-line. This year a number of platforms are expected to undergo planned outages mainly during August and September which will result further changes to the Blend oil quality.
The production rate from the Buzzard field is expected to vary in August, and a number of other fields are being taken off-line. This will vary the percentage of Buzzard crude in the Blend and cause the Forties Blend sulphur and API gravity to fluctuate. The charts below show the projected API gravity and sulphur levels of Forties Blend for this maintenance period.
Sulphur levels of Forties Blend:
The API gravity:
This data is based on the forecast production rates and qualities for fields supplied by each FPS shipper to the FPS operator. As new forecasts are provided by FPS shippers, we will update the projected Forties Blend quality information.
As individual platforms come back on line through September, we expect the Forties Blend quality to revert back to a steady quality of approximately 0.65% sulphur and an API of 41.0º.