Ithaca builds Stella hub
thaca Energy is gearing up to bring its UK North Sea Stella field on-stream through the FPF-1 floating production hub.
I Modifications to the
Petrofac owned FPF-1 float- ing production unit are get- ting underway
at the
Remontowa shipyard in Gdansk, Poland. The immediate work pro-
gramme in the shipyard is fo- cused on the performance of a detailed inspection to verify the requirements of the en- visaged marine systems workscope and preparation for dry dock works, which are expected to begin in Q1 2013. To maximise initial oil and condensate production and fill the gas processing fa- cilities on the FPF-1, four Stella wells are planned for the start-up of production from the hub. Drilling work on the wells is due to begin with the Ensco 100 rig early next year. Each well is anticipated to
take approximately 90 days to drill, complete and undergo a clean-up test designed to give further assurance around flow rates prior to start-up of the field.
Further wells on Stella and Harrier, plus other po- tential targets, including Hur- ricane, will then be drilled post first hydrocarbons from Stella to maintain the gas pro- cessing facilities on plateau. Detailed design has also
been completed for the subsea infrastructure that is to be in- stalled in 2013 by Technip. Fabrication of the required linepipe is underway. Meanwhile, Ithaca said it is looking to add more re- serves to provide feedstock for the hub following the UK’s recent licensing round. The company was
awarded Block 29/5d in the vicinity of its existing Greater Stella Area (GSA) interests and Block 15/17b in the Outer Moray Firth in the UK’s 27th licensing round. The licence offers are based on the completion of technical studies, leading to a drill or drop decision on each license within two years of formal licence award. Block 29/5d is a joint ven-
ture between Ithaca (Operator, 54.66 %), Dyas UK (25.34%) and Petrofac Energy Develop- ments UK (20%).
The Block lies in the GSA, adjacent to Block 29/10b, which contains the company’s recently appraised Hurricane discovery and close to the fu- ture location of the FPF-1 float- ing production unit. The joint venture has identified an exploration tar- get in Block 29/5d analogous to the appraised Hurricane Rogaland sand interval, known as Twister.
Block 15/17b is a joint
venture between Ithaca (Op- erator, 50%) and Premier Oil (50%). The block lies in the Outer Moray Firth basin and
Offshore Technology November/December 2012
is close to the Ithaca operated Athena field and Premier li- cence interests. The block contains four undeveloped Jurassic oil discoveries, known as the Piper Isles. The block is adjacent to a number of oil producing fields, most notably Piper, Saltire, Iona and Chanter. The work programme for both blocks comprises the completion of technical (sub- surface) studies, along with development concept screen- ing analysis, to enable a deci- sion to be made within two years of the formal award of each licence on committing to the drilling of a well on each block thereafter. Nick Muir, chief technical
officer, commented: “I am de- lighted that the company’s ex- isting asset portfolio is expanding with two such promising licence awards. These licences enable the company to further increase its GSA stock of opportuni- ties for the FPF-1 production hub and to establish a new foothold in a prolific area of the Outer Moray Firth. “The company looks for-
ward to driving forward these opportunities and building upon the successes of previ- ous licence round awards from which it has generated significant value, namely the appraisal and development of the now producing Jacky and Athena fields and the re- cently appraised Hurricane discovery.”
11
North Sea
Work is ramping up on Ithaca’s Stella project
The Ensco 100 will drill production wells on the Stella field
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40