BP confirms extension of giant Clair Field west of Shetland in the UK
BP, on behalf of its co-venturers ConocoPhillips, Chevron and Shell, announced today the successful completion of a well drilled to establish a southwest extension of the Clair field, west of Shetland in the UK.
The giant Clair field is the UK’s largest hydrocarbon resource, with total volumes initially in place across the entire field currently estimated at more than 7 billion barrels of oil equivalent. This latest well confirms recoverable oil from a new portion of the field, further increasing confidence in the potential of the greater Clair field area.
In addition to confirming the extension of the main reservoir to the southwest, the 206/12a-3 well also discovered oil in a new, shallower reservoir horizon.
Trevor Garlick, Regional President for BP’s North Sea business said: “The results from this well look very encouraging and confirm the potential of the Clair field to produce for decades to come. Additional development phases will likely be required to access the new segments in Clair.”
During 2012 there is a plan for a further seismic survey of the field to understand the reservoir structure in more detail. Additional appraisal wells are currently being considered and the information gained will establish the scale of any further development phases.
The Joint Venture is currently progressing the second phase of development of the Clair field – the Clair Ridge development.
Further information:
Contacts
BP Press office, London, (01224) 832030 or (0207) 496 4076, bppress@bp.com
Notes on Clair field:
- The Clair field was originally discovered in 1977;
- The Clair field is located 75 km West of Shetland and extends over an area of 220km2, in water depths of approximately 140m;
- The first development phase (Clair Phase 1) was sanctioned in 2001. It was developed with a single fixed platform with production and process topsides facilities, supported by a steel jacket and associated oil and gas export facilities;
- Production from the Clair field commenced in February 2005 from the first phase facilities and has so far produced around 80 million barrels. The first phase facilities are designed to continue producing until 2028;
- The second phase of the development - Clair Ridge - is planned to target the part of the field to the north of Clair Phase 1;
- Oil and gas is exported via pipelines to the Sullom Voe terminal on Shetland where it is processed for onward use;
- Total hydrocarbons initially in place across the entire field are estimated at more than 7 billion barrels of oil equivalent, although due to the highly complex and fractured nature of the reservoir, there has been considerable uncertainty as to how much of the oil could be recovered.
The Clair co-venturers
- BP Exploration Operating Co 27.6215%
- Britoil plc (BP) 0.98%
- ConocoPhillips (U.K.) Limited 24.0029%
- Chevron North Sea Limited 19.4225%
- Enterprise Oil Limited (Shell) 18.6831%
- Shell Clair UK Limited (Shell) 9.2900%
Cautionary note to US investors:
Certain terms are used in this press release, such as “hydrocarbons in place” and references to estimates and projections in relation to such, that the SEC’s rules prohibit BP from including in its filings with the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosures in BP’s Form 20-F, SEC File No. 1-06262. This form is available on BP’s website at www.bp.com. You can also obtain this form from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330 or by logging on to their website at www.sec.gov.
