North Sea Stella in 3-Month Delay

Canadian independent Ithaca Energy has forecast that first hydrocarbons from its North Sea Stella oil and gas are now scheduled for February 2017.

That represents a three-month delay from the planned November start-up of the gas development that it announced at the start of last autumn.

The FPF-1 floating production facility for the Greater Stella development sailed from Poland in August 2016. However Ithaca said January 12 that challenging offshore weather conditions had impacted the pace of activities on the vessel at times, although all that was now required was electrical junction box inspection and remediation work programme, both of which were nearing completion.

Greater Stella area (Map credit: Ithaca Energy)

Ithaca’s interest as operator in Greater Stella is 54.66%; its partners are Dutch firm Dyas 25.34% and UK-based Petrofac 20%.

The Canadian firm said its net production in 2016 was 9,300 boe/d, which it now expects to grow to 19,000 to 22,000 boepd in 2017.

Meanwhile Faroe Petroleum said January 12 that it and 50-50 partner Oslo-based Point Resources have committed to drill an appraisal well in mid-2017 on the Brasse discovery in the Norwegian North Sea, using Odfjell Drilling's semi-submersible rig Deepsea Bergen. Total gross volumes of recoverable hydrocarbons have been estimated by Faroe at 28-54mm bbls oil and 89-158bn ft³ gas (43-80 mmboe gross in aggregate). Faroe is the operator.

Faroe also announced the start of the Boné (previously Dazzler) exploration well on PL716 in the Norwegian Barents Sea "in a similar structural setting to the Johan Castberg discovery." Eni is the operator with 30%. Faroe, Bayerngas Norge, and Norwegian state Petoro each have 20%, while Point Resources has 10% equity.

Mark Smedley