Ongoing operations
Sullom Voe Terminal (SVT), located on Shetland, is one of the largest oil terminals in Europe and is of strategic importance to the UK. First oil was received in 1978 and since then the terminal has processed more than 8 billion barrels of oil equivalent.
The 1,300-acre site, operated by EnQuest since 2017, receives oil and associated gas from fields east of Shetland via the Ninian Pipeline System and west of Shetland via the Clair oil pipeline. Condensate from the adjacent Shetland Gas Plant is exported to SVT and blended with crude oil. Gas is received via the West of Shetland Pipeline System and processed in the SVT gas sweetening plant before being exported via pipeline.
The terminal’s capabilities and facilities include crude oil stabilisation and gas processing for export to market, eight tanks capable of storing 600,000 barrels each, a 100MW power station capable of exporting to the Shetland grid, four deepwater jetties where large tankers can berth and access to a construction jetty. The nearby Port of Sullom Voe offers ship-to-ship transfer operations.
Energy transition
The SVT owners are progressing several projects to right-size the facility for current and future operations and reduce emissions by 90%, including:
- Construction of a new stabilisation facility designed to efficiently process the current and future volumes of live crude oil received from the east of Shetland.
- Installation of a gas pipeline connection between the SVT gas sweetening plant and the Shetland Islands Regional Gas Export pipeline.
- Installation of a grid-based solution connecting SVT to the Shetland power distribution network, allowing the terminal to significantly reduce emissions by importing power from the grid. Plans are also being progressed to install two wind turbines on the site.
The above projects enable the decommissioning of a large part of the site, which was originally designed to handle 1.5 million barrels of oil a day.
Three industrial decarbonisation solutions at the terminal are currently being assessed, namely: carbon storage, e-fuels production, and renewable power. Shetland has the highest wind capacity factors in Europe, providing the critical building blocks to transform the site. These plans could enable the terminal to continue supporting the Shetland community for decades to come, supporting energy security, affordability and transition opportunities for workers.
Last updated 17/11/2025