Wintershall Noordzee (a 50:50 Joint Venture of Wintershall Dea and Gazprom EP International) has started up the production of the D12-B3 well, the Sillimanite South field discovery well. The gas field was discovered last year following the completion of the second Sillimanite development well which was taken into production in June last year. The D12-B3 well is the third new well which Wintershall Noordzee has taken into production in the past 12 months.
The Sillimanite South field discovery well was directly converted from an exploration well to a production well. 'Delivery of a well directly from the exploration phase straight into the production phase is a unique performance in itself. Doing so whilst having to operate under stringent measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more so', says Jone Hess, Managing Director of Wintershall Noordzee B.V. 'The fact that we worked together with our own strong, dedicated team and those of Maersk Drilling, our supply-chain as well as our partners, made this possible. I am extremely proud that we delivered what we promised whilst keeping everyone involved safe and healthy. A job very well done.'
About Sillimanite South and Sillimanite
After hook-up activities of the Sillimanite South production well to the D12-B production satellite platform had successfully been completed, first gas was introduced. The D12-B satellite platform is situated close to the Anglo-Dutch border in Dutch territorial waters. From there, the produced gas will be transported via the Neptune Energy operated D15-A production platform, through the NGT (Noordgastransport) gas transportation system to shore.
The unitized Sillimanite gas field stretches across the UK and the Dutch Continental Shelves in licence block 44/19a on the UK side and blocks D12a and D12b on the Dutch side. A treaty between the UK and Dutch governments entered into force in July 2018. The Sillimanite South field is located entirely in block D12a. Both Sillimanite and Sillimanite South gas fields are producing from sandstone reservoirs of Carboniferous age at a depth of approximately 3700 m below sea level.
The Sillimanite South Joint Venture partners are: Wintershall Noordzee B.V. (operator, 39.5%), EBN B.V. (50%) and Neptune Energy (10.5%).
Third life for platform topside
Wintershall Noordzee, active for over 50 years as a full cycle operator in exploration, development, production and decommissioning, announced in February 2020 that it had, for the second time, recycled the topside of its recently decommissioned E18-A platform, formerly P14-A topside, in the Sillimanite project. 'As part of our sustainability programme, we pay highest attention to the re-use of offshore platforms where the production has ceased. In this way, we can further improve our company’s environmental footprint and at the same time keep our operations cost-efficient. Giving this platform topside a third life, now at Sillimanite is a best-case example for our industry', said Dijkgraaf. 'In addition, Sillimanite will be monitored 24/7 from the Remote-Control Operations Center in Den Helder. This enables us to make our operations even leaner and more cost efficient. The project was delivered safely, within just 16 months from the investment decision', concluded Dijkgraaf.
Source: Wintershall Dea / energy-pedia
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