Ithaca Energy Inc., Aberdeen, reported the successful startup of oil and gas production from Stella field in the central North Sea. Stella field comprises the Stella Andrew sandstone reservoir containing light oil and rich gas-condensate and the Stella Ekofisk reservoir containing a volatile oil.
The Stella discovery well 30/6-2 was drilled by Shell in 1979. The well encountered gas-condensate throughout a 25-ft section of Paleocene Andrew sand. Oil was also observed in the underlying Ekofisk chalk reservoir.
Since the discovery well, seven subsequent reservoir penetrations having been made on Stella with various wells and sidetracks.
Ithaca drilled appraisal well 30/6a-8 and sidetrack well 30/6a-8z in 2010. Appraisal well 30/6a-8 well, which encountered light oil, targeted the Andrew reservoir in a down-flank location to test the extent of the structural closure. Sidetrack well 30/6a-8z was drilled to a midflank location and defined the extent of the oil rim and gas column.
The production ramp-up phase will start once commissioning of the gas processing and compression facilities is completed, Ithaca said.
Last year, Ithaca expanded its core position in the Greater Stella area of the central North Sea with four acquisitions, taking additional interest in the Vorlich discovery and operated interest in the Austen discovery (OGJ Online, Aug. 2, 2016).
The company’s focus on the Greater Stella area is driven by a strategy to monetize more than 30 million bbl of oil equivalent of net proved and probable reserves, Ithaca said.
