i3 Energy hands in Liberator field development plan (UK)

Oil and gas company i3 Energy has submitted its Environmental Statement (ES) and development plan for the Liberator field in the North Sea to the UK authorities. 

Located in License P.1987, 64 km north-east of Aberdeen, the Liberator field was discovered by Dana Petroleum in November 2013. i3 Energy has a 100% operated interest in the license. The field is immediately adjacent to the Repsol Sinopec-operated Blake field and only 2 km from Blake’s producing drill center.

i3 Energy informed on Monday that the ES for the development of its operated Liberator field had been submitted to the Department for Business, Environment and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for review and, as is mandatory, for public consultation.

The company explained that the ES addressed potential environmental impacts from the Liberator development and was an important element in the approval process for the Liberator Field Development Plan (FDP). The ES, in addition to the review by BEIS, has been sent for comment to appropriate stakeholders as well as being published for public consultation.

i3 has also, as requested by the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA), submitted its FDP for the Liberator development to the OGA and will continue with the review process through the coming weeks.

John Woods, i3’s Chief Developments Officer, commented: “Submission of the Liberator Field Environmental Statement for public and BEIS review marks another important milestone for i3 with respect to project delivery. Further, with the FDP review process, we continue to make excellent progress through the planning and approvals required to allow us to execute the field development during 2018.”

Development via two wells

According to the development plan document, i3 Energy is proposing to develop the Liberator field via two single wells, one close to an existing manifold, part of the Repsol Sinopec-operated Blake field, and one approximately 2 km from the same manifold. Produced fluids from the two Liberator wells will co-mingle with fluids from wells drilled into the Blake field from the Blake manifold. These co-mingled fluids are processed by the Repsol Sinopec-operated and Bluewater-owned Bleo Holm floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.

Detailed engineering studies to enable the Liberator field to be tied into the existing Blake field ‘host’ infrastructure and produced through the Bleo Holm FPSO started in late September. The results of the engineering studies, in combination with the completed site survey information, were used to support the Liberator FDP.

The expected life of field is seven years and there will be no requirement to extend the stay of the Bleo Holm FPSO beyond that already approved. The Liberator wells, L1 and L2, will be located in UKCS Blocks 13/23d and 13/24a, approximately 64 km from the south Moray coast in the South Halibut Basin of the Moray Firth. The Liberator reservoir will be developed with deviated wells using the Ocean Guardian or similar drilling rig. The selected rig will be a semi-submersible, with an eight chain anchor pattern for maintaining position while drilling.

Drilling is expected to start in April 2018. First oil is expected in the second half of 2018, with approximately 9,560 barrels (1,091 tonnes) of oil and 70,400 standard meters cubed (Sm3) of gas produced per day, although tie-in of the second well and production start-up from this well may not occur until August 2019.

Production will peak in 2020 at approximately 15,600 barrels of oil (1,990 tonnes) and 105,300 Sm3 of gas per day, before steadily declining over the remainder of the projected field life of seven years.

Offshore Energy Today Staff