ConocoPhillips producing from Hawksley field in southern North Sea

Nov. 1, 2002
ConocoPhillips and its partners have begun natural gas production from Hawksley field in the southern North Sea. It's the first Carboniferous discovery there to be produced by subsea technology.

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, Nov. 1 -- ConocoPhillips and its partners have begun natural gas production from Hawksley field in the southern North Sea. It's the first Carboniferous discovery there to be produced by subsea technology.

Hawksley began production in early September, 3 weeks ahead of schedule. It attained a sustained production rate of 180 Mscfd.

Conoco (UK) Ltd. is the operator with 59.5% interest. The partners are GDF Britain Ltd. with 26.4% and Tullow Exploration Ltd. with 14.1%.

The Hawksley discovery well, 44/17a-6Y, was completed in July 2002 in one of five gas reservoirs being developed by ConocoPhillips as a unitized project containing 430 billion cu m.

The other reservoirs are McAdam, Murdoch K, Boulton H, and Watt (OGJ Online, June 24, 2002). The project is known as the Caister Murdock III development because the reservoirs are being developed using the production and transportation facilities of the ConocoPhillips-operated Caister Murdoch System (CMS).

CMS transports the natural gas 115 miles by subsea pipeline to the Theddlethorpe gas plant. Installation of a new compression module, slated for mid-2003, will double the CMS compression capacity for existing and new production, and provide for future natural gas developments in the area, ConocoPhillips said.