Venture tests Barbarossa appraisal well
Offshore staff
ABERDEEN -- Well 47/9c-11z in the south North Sea has been sidetracked and tested to appraise the Barbarossa gas field, according to Venture Production.
The well achieved rates of 40 MMcf/d gross natural gas through a 96/64 in. choke with a tubing head pressure of over 1,000 psi. The jackup Noble Julie Robertson spudded the vertical section of the well in February 2008 and confirmed a good quality Rotliegendes reservoir, according to Venture.
Venture plans to develop Barbarossa as a subsea tie-back jointly with the nearby Channon discovery, which was tested at stabilized rates of up to 55 MMcf/d gross natural gas. The company is preparing a field development plan and expects first gas from the combined development in 2009.
"Confirming a new near-term gas field development of this size is very good news not only for Venture, but also for the UK, as we strive to maximize recovery of our offshore gas reserves," says Mike Wagstaff, Venture's chief executive.
"We started acquiring our interests in Channon and Barbarossa in 2005 and, through a series of deals with both large and small North Sea players, created the option to drill and tie-back these two opportunities. With the outlook for gas prices having improved considerably since we drilled the Channon discovery well last year we now have a very attractive joint development lined up for delivery next year."
Barbarossa was last drilled in 1982 by the 47/9b-4 well, which encountered a 113-ft (34 -m) thick gas bearing Rotliegendes age reservoir. Subsequent reinterpretation work concluded that the original wellbore was probably severely damaged while drilling and this restricted the test rates, according to Venture.
07/15/2008
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