Uchenna Izundu
International Editor
LONDON, July 27 Star Energy Group PLC plans to develop an 8.2 billion cu ft gas store in the partially depleted Albury gas reservoir near Guildford, Surrey, in southeast England. The project's cost and timeline were not given.
The company has applied for authorization for the project's first phase. Later work will include modifications to the existing wellsite, a gas processing facility 8.5 km away, and an above-ground installation at the connection to the district gas network," Star Energy said.
Star Energy will drill four 10,000 ft, extended reach development wells, to be completed in 36 weeks. The gas store's vertical depth is 2,100 ft below sea level.
A pipeline will link the Albury Park wells to the gas processing facility at Furze, and a 1.8 km underground pipeline will connect the gas processing facility to the local gas grid, and an above-ground connection will connect to the gas grid near West Horsley.
The UK has a storage capacity of just 4% of its annual consumption despite being the largest gas market in Europe. In contrast, France and Germany have storage capacity of over 20%.
Forecasters conclude that UK expected reserves decline will require imports of more than 50% of Britain's gas by 2010, and adequate gas storage will be needed.
Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected]
