In the “SNS Salting Study 2017”, the OGA recommends that gas operators in the Southern North Sea (SNS) work together to reduce the impact of salting on production losses, following a study conducted in 2017.

Production losses can occur when salt deposits build up within the wellbore or the process plant, causing restrictions in flow and in extreme cases blockage. The report finds:

  • SNS production efficiency (PE) is estimated at 64%, which is the lowest of the UKCS areas (according to the OGA’s 2016 UKCS Stewardship Survey)
  • Daily production losses attributable to salting total 130 mmscf/d, equivalent to 20% of the SNS’s total production losses
  • At least one fifth of all producing fields in the SNS are likely to be affected by salt deposition

SNS Salting Study 2017