Offshore staff

SURREY, UK -- The Don Southwest field has achieved first oil, with two production wells onstream, according to Valiant Petroleum. The production wells will be supported by water injection wells currently being drilled by the semisub Transocean John Shaw. These wells are expected to be onstream in October, the company says.

During drilling of the southern water injection well, the company drilled a sidetrack into a previously undrilled compartment to the south of the field (known as Area H). Although the well was not optimally located to test the full potential of the compartment, the sidetrack encountered a 60-ft (18-m) oil column in the upper Brent formation, extending the boundary of the field to the south, the company says.

Valiant is currently defining further phases to the Don Southwest appraisal and development program incorporating the newest information gained from the field. The plan for 2010 will be finalized following a technical assessment of the field’s initial production performance.

“Our strategy for the Don fields is to grow production through future stages of exploration, appraisal, and development drilling and our success in finding oil in Area H provides confidence in this strategy,” says Peter Buchanan, Valiant’s CEO. “We are excited about next year’s development options that are currently being defined and we take great confidence in our ability to grow this core area.”

07/01/2009