Oil and gas company Neptune Energy has started an infill drilling campaign at its operated Cygnus gas field in the southern North Sea.
This has the potential to unlock enough gas to heat an additional 200,000 UK homes per year from this winter, Neptune said in a statement on Wednesday.
Upon completion of the 10th well on the field in 4Q this year, the Cygnus gas facility will be capable of producing enough gas for approximately 2 million UK households. Cygnus is an important component of the UK North Sea’s energy infrastructure and has one of the lowest carbon intensities on the UKCS, at ~2kg of CO2/boe, according to Neptune.
The drilling operation is being carried out by Borr Drilling’s Prospector 1 jack-up rig , equipped with technologies that reduce carbon and nitrogen emissions from drilling by up to 95 per cent, and particle matter emissions by more than 85 per cent.
Neptune Energy’s UK Country Director, Alan Muirhead , said: “The 10th well is part of the existing Cygnus field development plan and will support additional supplies of much-needed low carbon gas for UK households from this winter.
“Domestic production has a crucial role in supporting UK energy security and Neptune has been working hard to incrementally increase natural gas supplies from its operated assets, including from Cygnus in the UK and from Gjøa in Norway, which is exported via the FLAGS pipeline to the St. Fergus Gas Terminal in the NorthEast of Scotland.”
Cygnus partners are Neptune Energy (operator and 38.75 per cent) and Spirit Energy (61.25 per cent).