Spirit Energy boosts output at two North Sea fields

Following successful offshore drilling campaigns, oil and gas company Spirit Energy has boosted production from two North Sea fields.

According to Spirit Energy’s update on Friday, the first gas from the new C6 well at Spirit Energy’s Chiswick field in the Southern North Sea was achieved on March 11, 2020, and has added up to an additional 15 million standard cubic feet of gas per day to the field.

The Chiswick field, around 75 miles off the coast of Norfolk, has been producing gas since 2007. The new well brings overall production from the Greater Markham Area (GMA) to 110 million standard cubic feet of gas per day – enough to heat nearly 950,000 homes.

The development well, completed two months ahead of schedule, is expected to help extend life of the GMA hub to 2028.

The GMA hub spans both the UK and Dutch Continental Shelves, and comprises the Markham, Chiswick, Grove, and Kew fields.

The Chestnut field is located in block 22/2a of the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), in 117m water depth.

Spirit said that, together with partner Dana Petroleum, it had completed drilling of a new production well at the Chestnut field, extending the life of that field by as much as three additional years.

The initial expectation when the Chestnut field first came online more than a decade ago was for a little over two years’ production.

First oil from the new Chestnut well was achieved on March 19, 2020. Thanks to the £56 million ($67.32M) investment from Spirit Energy and Dana Petroleum in the new well and a contract extension with Teekay Corporation for the Hummingbird Spirit FPSO, another 2.5 million barrels have been unlocked, Spirit Energy explained.

Neil McCulloch, Executive Vice-President Technical & Operated Assets, said: “The results from the new well at Chiswick exceeded our expectations and will provide us with valuable data to identify further drilling targets in the area.

“At the same time, the work our teams have done alongside our partner Dana Petroleum and our supply chain colleagues, notably Teekay Corporation and Altera Infrastructure, to maximize the potential of the Chestnut field has been exceptional and is making this field a notable success story.

“The industry faces unprecedented challenges but, taken together, the additional gas and oil from Chiswick and Chestnut provide a boost to production from two UK fields at a time when the secure supply of energy is critical.”