bp assessing options for third Clair Field project west of Shetland

Offshore staff

LONDON — bp is working on plans for Phase 3 of development for the giant Clair oil field west of Shetland in UK waters, according to partner Harbour Energy’s latest results statement.

Clair Phase 3 will likely target Clair South, one of the UK’s largest remaining undeveloped offshore accumulations.

Over the past year, bp has drilled four more wells at Clair Phase 1 and Clair Ridge, and three new wells at the nearby Schiehallion Field. Drilling should continue this year at both Clair and Schiehallion.

As an operator, Harbour has completed development drilling at Talbot, a three-well subsea tieback to the Judy platform in the central UK North Sea with first oil expected around the end of this year. A new project, targeting improved recovery from the Judy Chalk, involves drilling one well and adapting three producers for gas lift.

In the same region, the company has committed to a new infill well at North West Seymour; this, along with plant modifications, should extend the producing life of the Armada Field platform beyond 2030.

Harbour has further plans to resume drilling on satellite fields connected to the Greater Britannia Area hub. Work is underway on an infill well at Callanish and an appraisal well will be drilled on Brodgar.

Last year’s successful appraisal of the Leverett gas discovery could lead to a subsea tieback to the Britannia complex

Elsewhere, the company is a partner in the Zama oilfield development offshore Mexico, and FEED is due to start this year. In offshore Block 30 to the southwest, Mexico’s regulator has approved an appraisal drilling program on last year’s Kan-1 oil discovery. Engineering studies are already underway for a potential development.

Following the large gas discovery in December at Layaran-1 on the South Andaman license offshore Indonesia, operated by Mubadala, the rig relocated to drill the Halwa and Gayo prospects on Andaman II, where operations are nearing completion.

The Halwa-1 well delivered low gas saturations while the Gayo well resulted in a small gas discovery. Once the Gayo testing program has finished, the rig will return to South Andaman to drill the shallower Tangkulo prospect south of Layaran with the aim of proving up additional volumes.

Mubadala intends to add a fifth well to the campaign to appraise the Layaran discovery.

03.07.2024