St Fergus

Ongoing operations

St Fergus Gas Terminal (SFGT), owned by North Sea Midstream Partners (NSMP), has supported the UK’s economic growth by delivering secure energy supplies to industry and consumers since 1977.

The St Fergus System receives gas from upstream producers spanning the West of Shetland, Northern and Central North Sea and Norway via the FUKA and SIRGE pipelines. Gas is also received from the Vesterled pipeline from Gassco’s Norwegian infrastructure network.

The St Fergus-area-managed facilities support the transportation and processing of up to 30% of the UK's gas demand daily. The terminal also provides employment, including apprenticeships, for the communities in the north-east of Scotland.

SFGT continues to facilitate new projects aimed at supporting the UK’s energy security. The terminal received first gas from the Shell-operated Victory field in late 2025 and the BP-operated ESP pipeline is expected to connect to the St Fergus System in 2026, bringing further West of Shetland gas.

Ongoing operations

The Scottish Area Gas Evacuation (SAGE System), which has a capacity of 1.15 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day, is an integrated gas transportation and processing system composed of the SAGE pipeline and SAGE terminal.  

The SAGE terminal, an important part of the UK’s energy infrastructure, was commissioned in 1992 and expanded in 1995. 

The SAGE System, operated by SAGE North Sea Ltd, serves the UK Northern and Central North Sea and the Norwegian Continental Shelf. 

Ongoing Operations 

The Shell St Fergus gas plant terminal near Peterhead in Scotland fulfils an important role in meeting the UK’s energy needs by processing oil and gas that comes in from many offshore platforms and fields in the North Sea.

The plant processes gas for supply to the national grid for power generation, and it extracts and separates natural gas liquids (NGL) for export by onshore pipeline to the Shell Fife NGL plant in Mossmorran, Fife. It was officially opened in October 1982.

The plant receives gas through the SEGAL (Shell Esso Gas and Associated Liquids) system. This includes wet gas transported from the Northern North Sea through the FLAGS (Far North Liquids and Associated Gas System) pipeline and from the Central North Sea through the Fulmar Gas Pipeline.

It also receives gas from Norway through the Tampen pipeline, which connects the Norwegian gas transport system to the FLAGS system. This link increases the UK’s ability to import gas from the Norwegian continental shelf.

The plant uses cryogenic processes to separate the hydrocarbon components. Methane is removed and delivered to National Grid for entry into the National Transmission System, which provides gas for cooking and heating. The remaining hydrocarbons - Ethane, Butane, Propane and Gasoline, are pumped through an underground pipeline to the Shell Fife NGL plant for further processing.