MORE OIL AND GAS FIELDS FLOWING IN NORWEGIAN, U.K. NORTH SEA

More oil and gas is going on stream in the North Sea.

Here is a roundup of the latest action:

• Phillips Petroleum Co. Norway started production from the first well in Embla field, the eighth oil and gas field in the Greater Ekofisk Area in the Norwegian North Sea. Embla field also is the first unusually high pressure/high temperature field Phillips operates on behalf of the Phillips Norway group.

• Amoco (U.K.) Ltd. moved first gas May 9 to its Everest field platform on Block 22/10. Gas delivery through the Central Area Transmission System (CATS) pipeline to the Teesside, England, terminal began the next day.

• BP Exploration Operating Co. Ltd. started oil flow from Bruce field on Blocks 9/8a, 9/9a and 9/9b. First oil flowed at 5,500 b/d. Liquids production will jump to 80,000 b/d in October with the addition of condensate from gas production.

In addition, Amerada Hess Ltd. is confident of early production from Scott field, following completion of topsides installation using the DB102 crane barge. First oil from Scott, in U.K. Block 15/21a, is expected in November.

EMBLA

Production from Phillips' first Embla well is 9,000 b/d. During the summer, three more predrilled wells will boost production to about 35,000 b/d.

The Embla wellhead platform, in the south part of Block 2/7, is remotely operated from the processing platform for Eldfisk field about 5 km to the north. Production moves by pipeline via Eldfisk to the main Ekofisk complex. The Embla platform has a total capacity of 60,000 b/d.

The Embla discovery well was drilled in 1974, but equipment for a comprehensive testing program for high pressure/high temperature wells was not available at that time. The first Embla well that was fully tested was drilled in 1988. In 1990, the Phillips Norway group received approval to develop and operate Embla field.

The Phillips Norway group consists of Phillips Petroleum Co. Norway 36.96%, Fina Exploration Norway Inc. 30%, Norsk Agip AS 13.04%, Elf Petroleum Norge AS 7.594%, Norske Hydro AS 6.7%, Total Norge AS 3.547%, Statoil 1%, Elf Rex Norge AS 0.855%, and Norminol AS 0.304%.

EVEREST

Amoco began perforating Everest field wells May 5 in a program to place eight wells on stream by the end of May. A spokesman said well perforating will begin very soon on the first of four Block 21/21 Lomond wells scheduled to start production by month end.

Gas from Everest and Lomond fields will move from Teesside terminal to a nearby 1,875,000 kw combined cycle cogeneration plant operated by an Enron Corp. subsidiary (OGJ, Apr. 19, p. 23).

Amoco's grip on CATS vicinity acreage was strengthened by purchase of interests in 10 blocks from Sun Oil Britain Ltd. The sale removes Sun's remaining North Sea exploration interests from its portfolio, although the company still holds production assets, including Balmoral and Glamis fields and Stirling development in Block 16/21a.

Amoco acquired various Sun interests in Blocks 15/24a, 15/25b, 20/7a, 22/la, 22/lb, 22/8a, 22/13a, 22/13b, 22/27a, and 30/23b.

BRUCE

Bruce, the largest gas field in the U.K. North Sea, is to begin production at 430 MMcfd in October. BP said flow will rise to 530 MMcfd in 1994, or about 10% of U.K. gas requirements.

Bruce reserves are estimated at 2.6 tcf of gas and 220 million bbl of liquids. BP is in discussion with the U.K. Department of Trade and Industry to come up with final reserves figures.

British Gas plc will take 90% of the gas, with 50 MMcfd being sold directly to a new 350,000 kw combined cycle gas power plant at Corby, U.K. Corby power station is a joint venture led by and supplying East Midlands Electricity plc, which has a 40% share.

Bruce oil and condensate are sent 150 miles through a 24 in. diameter pipeline to Unit 7 riser platform in Forties field for Transmission to Kinneil terminal, near Grangemouth.

Gas will travel 4 miles through a 32 in. pipeline to join the Frigg network for export to St. Fergus, Scotland, terminal. Some of the process gas is used to power Bruce platforms.

Bruce field was developed using two bridge linked steel platforms, one carrying drilling equipment and the other processing, utilities, and quarters. They stand in 400 ft of water.

Total cost for the first phase of development was 1.2 billion ($1.8 billion). A second phase of development is planned to deplete the western portion of the reservoir. Overall development cost is estimated at 1.5 billion ($2.25 billion).

Bruce's second phase is likely to be a subsea development. BP is completing a study of options and is likely to begin front end engineering of Phase 2 late this year.

Initial production is from 11 template wells drilled by the John Shaw semisubmersible rig. Another 18 development wells will be drilled from the platform beginning this summer.

SCOTT

Amerada lifted 12 modules weighing a total 32,000 metric tons into place during April in the company's Scott field development program. The biggest was the 10,360 metric ton process deck.

"The extent of onshore commissioning will reduce the time and number of man-hours necessary to complete hookup of facilities," said Rex Gaisford, Amerada director of projects business.

"The combination of onshore commissioning with preinstalled subsea facilities, including 16 predrilled and completed wells, will give us a more rapid completion of the project."

Subsea preparations aim to allow the field to achieve plateau production of 180,000 b/d of oil very quickly (OGJ, Apr. 26, p. 32).

Parallel with topsides hookup, contractor Rockwater Ltd., Aberdeen, is completing subsea tie-ins, installing spool pieces between pipelines and the two platform jackets, and running two umbilicals to the subsea pipeline end manifold. Rockwater's Semi 1 vessel is being used.