First of Two Amoco Gas Discoveries Onstream in UK North Sea
A new Amoco-operated North Sea natural gas field located in Southern United Kingdom (UK) off the Norfolk coast came into production yesterday just two months after being discovered. The Brown Field located some 60 miles northeast of Great Yarmouth began producing some 50 million cf/d gas after being discovered in late October 1998. It is the quickest North Sea natural gas field to be brought into production. Co-venturers in the field are BG and Amerada Hess.
Subject to the UK Department of Trade and Industry approval, the Brown Field is set to be joined next year by the Amoco- operated Bell Field in the same area which has also been confirmed as economically viable following further drilling tests. The Bell Field is being considered for development by the same co-venturer group as Brown with the addition of Enterprise. Both fields will help extend the economic viability of existing Amoco-operations into the next century.
"Both discoveries demonstrate the successful application of advanced technology to identify and access new accumulations of natural gas economically and effectively," said Dave Walker, Amoco's southern North Sea asset manager. "Our plan now is to develop them safely and quickly through our existing facilities, thus enhancing the economic viability of the discoveries themselves and extending the life of our more mature assets."
The Brown Field in block 49/30c was discovered towards the end of October 1998. The single exploration well 49/30a - A5 was drilled from the Davy platform using extended reach drilling techniques. The field is being developed through the existing well with natural gas being routed by pipeline first to the Amoco-operated Indefatigable Field and then onwards to the natural gas processing terminal at Bacton, Norfolk.
Well 49/23-9 in the Bell Field was completed in September and confirmed the economic viability of the field. It flow tested at a rate of 70 million cf/d gas through a 88/64 inch choke. A possible development plan is currently being discussed with the UK Department of Trade and Industry.
Both the Brown and Bell wells, named after famous scientists, were drilled by the F.G. McLintock mobile drilling rig in approximately 100 ft of water. The precise locations for the wells were identified following comprehensive seismic imaging of the region which highlighted geological trends and likely areas of natural gas accumulations. Each well was deviated around complex geological formations in order to reach its target depth and location within the reservoir.
Amoco and its co-venturers have been active off the coast of Norfolk for more than 30 years. The company today operates the east Leman, west Indefatigable, Davy, and Bessemer natural gas fields, and the Bacton natural gas processing plant which is responsible for some 10% of total UK natural gas production each year. Amoco also handles the Mobil-licensed Camelot Field, which is connected to Amoco-operated facilities, and third party natural gas from the Trent and Tyne Fields which is processed at the Amoco-operated Bacton plant. Companies with interests in the Brown and Bell* fields are as follows: Bell: Amoco (U.K.) Exploration Company (30.77%), BG Exploration and Production Limited (30.77%), Amerada Hess Limited (23.08%), Enterprise Oil plc (15.38%); Brown: Amoco (U.K.) Exploration Company (22.2%), BG Exploration and Production Limited (50.00%), Amerada Hess Limited (27.78%). Excludes extension of Bell into Conoco-operated block 49/22.
By Dev George