Offshore staff
LONDON – Serica Energy is working on a series of measures to improve production through its Bruce area fields in the UK northern North Sea, formerly developed by BP.
Keith in block 9/8a is a small oil field, developed as a single subsea well tieback to the Bruce platform complex. Production had to be shut in earlier this year after inspection revealed damaged to caisson below the water line at Bruce (since rectified).
Although Keith was only generating 700 boe/d, Serica will bring the well back online later this year, pursuing low-cost options to maximize production over the field’s remaining life.
Rhum, a larger gas-condensate field in block 3/29a, currently produces via two subsea wells, R1 and R2, connected to Bruce via a 44-km (27-mi) pipeline. The company plans a workover on well R3, currently offline due to technical issues, to restore it to service and accelerate production from Rhum, also reducing dependence on the other two wells.
Work started earlier this year with a diving campaign to confirm that the installed subsea controls for R3 remained in good condition, and to reinstate a second power channel to the field in order to, increase reliability.
Awilco’s semisub WilPhoenix will mobilize from Invergordon, northeast Scotland for the 70-day campaign. Another diving intervention will then follow to bring the well into production, once the rig has departed.
Last September, Serica was awarded a license for two blocks close to Bruce that include the North Eigg and South Eigg prospects, under a UK offshore out-of-round application: commitments included drilling one exploration well within three years.
The favored candidate is North Eigg, which is clearly visible on 3D seismic data and exhibits similar characteristics to Rhum. Serica is already planning for an HP/HT well - a success could lead to a fast-track subsea tieback to Bruce to the south.
09/10/2020
