Welcome for first gas from Culzean field
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Gas has started to be produced from the Culzean field 230km off the Aberdeen coast.
The company behind the project, Total, says the newly developed site will produce the equivalent of 100,000 barrels of oil per day and account for five per cent of the UK's gas consumption.
The Culzean field, discovered in 2008 by Maersk Oil, is estimated to contain between 250 and 300 million barrels of oil equivalent.
The Culzean project includes the drilling of six wells, the construction of three bridge-linked platforms and a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) unit. Gas from Culzean is exported via the Central Area Transmission System (CATS) pipeline and the UK National Grid while condensate is stored in the FSO for offloading by shuttle tanker.
Arnaud Breuillac, president of exploration and production at Total, said: “The Culzean project is delivered ahead of schedule and more than 10 per cent below the initial budget. This has been achieved thanks to the excellent performance of the project teams in charge of the construction and drilling operations.
“Culzean is a good example of our efforts to upgrade our portfolio in the North Sea over the last years, notably by bringing Total and Maersk Oil together. The Culzean field is located in the Central Graben area, close to the Elgin-Franklin fields, also operated by Total, thus generating synergies.”
The company says that new digital technologies applied on the project, such as the latest smart rooms, will deliver higher efficiency during operations and create a safer working environment.
The start of production was welcomed by the industry body Oil and Gas UK. Its chief executive Deirdre Michie said: “This major project further reinforces the UK industry as leaders in the safe and efficient production of energy. Delivered on time and under budget and with complex geology, it is a great example of industry working together to get a job done.
“This is good news for our industry and for the UK, ensuring we can continue to provide secure, affordable energy from home-produced resources. Culzean is the largest UK gas find in 25 years and will meet around five per cent of the UK’s gas demand.
“It is also encouraging to see one of the basin’s long-term players delivering a challenging project by using pioneering digital technologies.”
Total operates Culzean with a 49.99 per cent participating interest, alongside BP (32 per cent) and JX Nippon (18.01 per cent).
