EnQuest PLC, London, expects production to start in this year’s second half from its redevelopment of Alma and Galia oil fields in the UK North Sea (OGJ Online, June 25, 2012).
The company originally planned to restart production in fourth-quarter 2013 but early last year expanded the project in a move that boosted the reserves estimate.
Alma, originally known as Argyll, was the first field to produce oil commercially off the UK and the first in the world developed with a floating production system. Argyll was on production during 1975-92. Renamed Ardmore, it produced oil again during 2003-05.
EnQuest expects initial gross peak production from the Alma-Galia project of about 20,000 boe/d.
Production start awaits arrival on the field of the EnQuest floating production, storage, and offloading vessel, which is undergoing finishing and commissioning at OGN Group’s Tyneside yard. The 248-m-long vessel, previously Bluewater’s Uisge Gorm FPSO, has capacities to produce 57,000 boe/d and to store 625,000 bbl of crude oil.
Subsea equipment is in place in the fields, which are in about 80 m of water, 310 km southeast of Aberdeen. Risers and mooring systems have been installed.
EnQuest last year said expansion of the Alma-Galia project would extend FPSO vessel life by up to 15 years and increase the number of wells that would be drilled in a second development phase. It said drilling results to that point had met or exceeded expectations.
The expansion increased proved and probable reserves to 34 million boe from 29 million boe.
EnQuest holds a 65% interest. Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co. holds 35%.