By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Nov. 19 -- Burlington Resources Inc., Houston, started deliveries from the first field in the Rivers fields development project in the East Irish Sea.
Calder field, first of the five fields named for nearby rivers, began delivering gas in mid-October from a shallow-water production platform through a 30-mile pipeline to shore. There the gas goes to a large gas treatment plant at Barrow-in-Furness.
From a raw volume of 145 MMcfd, Calder sales volume is expected to peak at 90 MMcfd, bringing Burlington's total East Irish Sea production to 180 MMcfd by early 2005.
Burlington holds eight licenses covering 239,000 acres in the East Irish Sea and has 100% interest in seven gas fields. Darwen and Crossans fields are expected to be tied in via subsea completions in 2007. The other two Rivers fields are Hodder and Asland.
Burlington spent $218 million on the Rivers development project in 2003. The company's nearby Millom and Dalton fields are fully developed.
Centrica PLC, London, takes over operation of the Calder platform and the new Barrow-in-Furness terminal on behalf of Burlington.
Centrica operates North and South Morecambe gas-condensate fields, collectively the UK's second largest gas field in terms of ultimate recovery at more than 6 tcf, and Bains field, the smallest stand-alone gas field development off the UK.
