UK approves Chestnut oil field development

Nov. 28, 2005
Bow Valley Energy Ltd., Calgary, has received UK government approval to develop Chestnut oil field on Block 22/2a in the central UK North Sea.

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Nov. 28 -- Bow Valley Energy Ltd., Calgary, has received UK government approval to develop Chestnut oil field on Block 22/2a in the central UK North Sea.

The $51.8 million (Can.) development will use the Sevan Marine SSP300, a new-concept floating production vessel.

The SSP 300, which will operate in 120 m of water, will have a process plant capacity of 30,000 b/d of oil and an oil storage capacity of 300,000 bbl and will contain a 20,000-b/d water injection plant. It will be installed in Chestnut field in first-half 2007. Plateau production is expected to be 10,000 b/d of oil (OGJ Online, June 22, 2005).

The field, 13 km south-southeast of Chevron Corp.'s Alba oil field, has reserves of 3.8-16.7 million bbl of oil. It will be one of the smallest stand-alone field developments in the North Sea. The reservoir is the Eocene Nauchlan sand at 6,900 ft. The field has been appraised by six wells.

The 22/2a-11x appraisal well, drilled in 2001, was placed on an extended well test during which it produced 1 million bbl of oil at rates of more than 13,500 b/d. The well was suspended and will be used as a production well in the current field development along with a new well to be drilled in the second half of 2006.

The new well is expected to be converted to a water injection well at a later date depending upon production and reservoir performance.