Offshore staff
RIJSWIJK, the Netherlands –Wintershall is starting production from the K18-Golf gas field in the Dutch North Sea.
Initially the company plans to produce around 1 MMcm/d (35 MMcf/d) from the tight gas reservoir via a single subsea well completion.
A second producer is to come onstream this summer to maintain plateau output at 1-1.4 MMcm/d.
One of the challenges in this project was the field’s location in a restricted military zone, which necessitated a fasttrack subsea development. The production site is connected via a subsea pipeline to the K15-FA platform 10 km (6 mi) to the north. There the gas will be treated to sales specification before heading to the Dutch port of Den Helder via the Wintershall-operated WGT pipeline network.
The K18-G1 well descends vertically for roughly 3,750 m (12,303 ft), followed by a 1,400-m (4,593-ft) horizontal section in the gas-bearing sand.
Gilbert Van den Brink, managing director of Wintershall Noordzee, said: “The K18-G1 well showed a better reservoir than predicted, and we have high expectations for a firm and durable production from this tight Rotliegend reservoir.
“This summer we will spud the second production well K18-G4 in the northern extent of the field. Based on the good results of this first tight gas project, Wintershall will focus on the development of more tight gas fields in the Dutch offshore.”
Wintershall has a 41.7% operating interest in K18-Golf. The other partners are EBN (40%), NAM (15.9%), Tullow (2.2%), and Oranje-Nassau Energie (0.2%). Wintershall was awarded the concession for block K18 in 1983. The gas field was discovered in 2005.
3/9/2012
