Major drilling project begins in North Sea gas development

Culzean field production scheduled in 2019 from first of six wells

Drilling has begun on the first production well for a major gas field in the UK North Sea.

Maersk Oil is planning to drill a total of six production wells in the Culzean Field in the North Sea 145 miles east of Aberdeen.

The drilling is planned to last more than five years, with the first gas expected to be produced in 2019.

The Maersk Highlander rig is drilling the first production well through a wellhead platform jacket and well access deck which were installed at the field in the spring.

When the three topsides are installed in 2018 and hooked up in 2019, three of the six production wells will be ready for first gas.

The site is one of the largest gas fields discovered in the North Sea in more than a decade, and has resources estimated at 250-300 million barrels.

Gretchen Watkins, chief executive designate of the Danish company, said: “This is an important milestone in ensuring that we can deliver Culzean on schedule, and with it 5% of UK gas demand in 2020-21.

“We are working to ensure a safe drilling programme on this critical project for Maersk and the UK.”

The drilling campaign will be supported by more than 30 UK-based well services companies.

Maersk has prepared the drilling programme on a digital “virtual well”, using a specialised simulator at Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University.

In May, BP announced it had doubled its stake in Culzean as part of a £7 billion investment programme.

This is an important milestone in ensuring that we can deliver Culzean on schedule, and with it 5% of UK gas demand in 2020-21. GRETCHEN WATKINS