Ettrick on target for mid-year oil

Offshore staff

UXBRIDGE, UK --Nexen Petroleum's Ettrick project in the UK North Sea is on schedule for first oil in mid-2008.

Ettrick is being developed via three subsea producer wells tied back to a leased FPSO and one water injector. Nexen expects to achieve peak production of around 25,000 boe/d by end-2008.

The North Sea will account for just over half the company's $600 million investments in its core assets next year. Much of this will be directed at the ongoing Buzzard development. Here Nexen plans to drill five new production wells, two sidetracks and one water injector.

It also aims to start construction of a fourth platform with production sweetening facilities to handle higher levels of hydrogen sulfide. Buzzard's existing processing equipment should maintain current deliverability until these new facilities come into service in 2010.

Elsewhere in this region of the central North Sea, Nexen is working on concepts for the Golden Eagle and Selkirk discoveries. It also plans two new development wells at Scott and Telford.

12/05/2007