NORTH SEA FIELDS MARKED FOR DEVELOPMENT
BP Exploration has won British government approval to develop 26 million bbl Donan oil field on its 100% owned U.K. North Sea Block 15/20a using its Seillean floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel.
Production is to start in March 1992 and reach 15,000 b/d.
In other action, Amerada Hess Ltd. received government approval to place Angus oil field on stream in the U.K. North Sea using the Petrojarl I FPSO vessel.
The field in Blocks 31/21 and 31/26a holds an estimated 7.5 million bbl of reserves. Production is to start this month at an initial rate of 25,000 b/d from two wells.
Elsewhere in the North Sea:
- Phillips Petroleum Co U.K. Ltd. found more reserves in upper Jurassic sandstone under the Paleocene reservoir in Maureen field in U.K. Block 16/29a.
- Elf Petroland, Ste. Nationale Elf Aquitaine's Dutch subsidiary, tested 29 MMcfd of gas in the K5a-5 well 77 1/2 miles northwest of Den Helder, Netherlands. It is the second discovery on the block in which Bow Valley Exploration, Total, Hamilton Bros., and Clyde Petroleum are partners.
ANGUS FIELD
Amerada Hess increased its share in Angus field to 93.92% through an asset trade with BP. The remaining 6.08% is held by Premier Consolidated Oilfields plc.
BP assigned its 51% interest in Blocks 31/21, 31/26a, and 31/27a to Amerada Hess in exchange for an 11.333% interest in Ross field in Block 13/29a.
Petrojarl 1, owned by Golar-Nor Offshore AS, is in dry dock at the Haugesund Mekaniske Verksted yard in Norway undergoing modifications to operate with two subsea wells.
The vessel is under contract to Amerada Hess for 2 years with options for significant extensions.
The contact includes the Petroskald shuttle tanker, which will off load oil from Petrojarl I.
Amerada Hess said Petrojarl I's facilities can process 32,000 b/d of oil and handle 22,500 b/d of water anticipated during-later field life.
DONAN FIELD
BP's Donan field approval is limited to Mar. 31, 1993. BP said offtake beyond then will be reviewed with the Department of Energy in the light of reservoir performance.
Seillean is currently on station in BP's Cyrus field in Block 16/28. Production from this reservoir will be suspended during the production vessel's deployment at Donan.
BP is considering further development options for Cyrus, which has produced about 4 million bbl through Seillean out of total reserves of 13 million bbl.
The favored option could be a subsea tie back to nearby Andrew field, where BP will seek development approval next year.
MAUREEN FIELD
Phillips' 16/29a-A21 well, drilled from the Maureen production platform, penetrated the upper Jurassic on the previously undrilled eastern flank of Maureen's Paleocene structure. It flowed as much as 12,600 b/d of 34 gravity oil through a 1 in. choke.
The new pay discovery has come at a ideal time for Maureen where production has fallen to about 35,000 b/d,, less than half the peak achieved in 1985. Phillips said capacity is available on the platform to allow immediate production from the new well.
Further work is planned in 1992 to evaluate the new reserves.
Phillips' partners in Maureen are Fina Exploration Ltd., Agip (U.K.) Ltd., British Gas Exploration & Production Ltd., and Ultramar Exploration Ltd.
Copyright 1991 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.