Wintershall Dea, Gazprom Sink Third Well at Dutch-UK Field
Wintershall Noordzee, a joint venture between Germany's Wintershall Dea and Russia's Gazprom, reported on September 28 that it had drilled a third well at the Sillimanite field straddling the border between Dutch and UK waters.
The Sillimanite South exploration well has been converted into a development sidetrack, and Wintershall Noordzee is finalising its hook-up to the D12-B production platform, the company said. Gas will be transported from there via the Neptune Energy-operated D15-A platform through the NGT transportation system to shore.
The Sillimanite field was discovered in 2015 and a final investment decision was taken in late 2018. Wintershall Noordzee operates the deposit with a 39.5% stake, while Dutch state-owned EBN has 50% and Neptune 10.5%. The partners started production at the field's first well in February, and its second in June.
Wintershall Noordzee hailed the latest borehole's completion as a "unique achievement" with rig operator Maersk Drilling.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has not stopped us or slowed us down. Our clear goal was to deliver, and that is exactly what we have done," the joint venture's managing director Robert Frimpong said.
However, the company noted that Dutch offshore drilling had now come to a standstill, calling on authorities to improve the Netherlands' investment climate with better policy. Operators have been waiting for years for a new incentives package to be introduced by the government, and a court ruling last year on nitrogen oxide emissions has made securing permits for work very difficult.
"There is still potential in the Dutch North Sea, but the conditions and circumstances need to change rapidly," Frimpong said.
Neptune also issued a statement stressing the importance of domestic gas production. "It has a 30% lower CO2 footprint than imported gas; it supports security of supply and reduces reliance on imported energy sources which can be more carbon intensive, and – besides solar and wind energy – we know we will continue to need gas to heat our homes and fuel our economy," Neptune's managing director for the Netherlands, Lex de Groot, said. The Groningen swing gas field will be turned off in 2022.