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Wintershall to develop first German North Sea field

March 1, 1999

Wintershall AG, Kassel, plans to undertake the first offshore field development in the German sector of the North Sea. The A6/B4 gas find will be developed with a small platform tied back to the existing F-3 platform in the Dutch sector, from where gas will be exported through the Nogat pipeline to Den Helder, the Netherlands. Wintershall said the development would be the first on Germany's continental shelf area. More than 10 years ago, the Mittelplate oil field was developed in tidal

Ag/B4 Field Development [56,101 bytes]

Wintershall AG, Kassel, plans to undertake the first offshore field development in the German sector of the North Sea.

The A6/B4 gas find will be developed with a small platform tied back to the existing F-3 platform in the Dutch sector, from where gas will be exported through the Nogat pipeline to Den Helder, the Netherlands.

Wintershall said the development would be the first on Germany's continental shelf area. More than 10 years ago, the Mittelplate oil field was developed in tidal waters by RWE-DEA AG with an artificial island.

Wintershall submitted a development plan to the High Authorities for Mining at the Oberbergamt of Clausthal-Zellerfeld and anticipates receiving development approval shortly.

On Feb. 22, Wintershall and license partners RWE-DEA, BEB Erdgas & Erdöl GmbH, and BASF AG signed a contract to supply natural gas from the A6/B4 field to Dutch state gas firm Nederlandse Gasunie NV beginning in 2000.

The A6/B4 field has estimated reserves of 480 bcf of gas and is expected to be developed at a cost of 400 million deutschemarks ($225 million). Production from the platform is expected to average 120 MMcfd.

In addition to installing a platform with two or three production wells, Wintershall plans to install two 117 km pipelines, one to carry gas and one to take condensate to F-3 platform, where Nederlandse Aardolie Mij. BV, a joint venture of Shell Nederland BV and Esso Nederland BV, is operator.

The platform will be a six-legged steel structure standing in 48 m of water. It will have a regular crew of eight. Condensate will be removed from F-3 by shuttle tanker.

Interests in the A6/B4 field are: operator Wintershall 40.45%, the BEB joint venture of Deutsche Shell AG and Esso AG 40.45%, RWE-DEA 7.1%, and BASF (of which Wintershall is a wholly owned subsidiary) 12%.

These companies, known as the Deutsches Nordseekonsortium, hold a 41.44% interest in the Dutch section of the gas pipeline, in which Energie Beheer Nederland BV holds the other 58.56%.