Neptune Energy and its partner Spirit Energy have started production from the eleventh well at their Cygnus gas field in the southern North Sea.
Neptune Energy said the start of production from this new well unlocked much-needed additional supplies and provided further support for the UK’s energy independence.
According to the oil company, the new well is expected to produce approximately 4,000 boepd, enough gas to heat roughly 200,000 UK homes. Together with the tenth well that started up earlier this year, the Cygnus facility is expected to produce enough gas per day to meet the needs of around 1.9 million UK homes. The tenth well was brought online to maintain field production and offset natural decline.
Neptune also claimed that the Cygnus field continued to have one of the lowest carbon intensities on the UK continental shelf.
“Cygnus plays an important role in supporting the UK’s energy security and can supply around six per cent of the country’s gas demand. We are taking steps to boost North Sea gas production, which reduces the UK’s reliance on less secure and more carbon-intensive imported energy supplies and support the government’s aim to achieve energy independence by 2040,” said Alan Muirhead, Country Director of Neptune Energy .
“Continuing to ensure reliable and responsible supplies of energy from the UK Continental Shelf has never been more important. Spirit Energy is delighted to welcome the first gas from the joint venture’s most recent investment in Cygnus, as the gas remains a key energy source in the transition to Net Zero,” added Neil McCulloch, CEO of Spirit Energy.
It is worth noting that the tenth and eleventh wells were drilled by Borr Drilling’s Prospector 1 riser rig. Neptune Energy is the operator of Cygnus and has a 38.75 percent stake, while Spirit Energy holds the remaining 61.25 percent.
As for the field, Neptune said on its website that it is the largest natural gas discovery in the southern North Sea in more than 30 years. It is also one of the UK’s largest single-producing gas fields, typically exporting more than 250 million standard cubic feet per day. Cygnus started production in 2016 and has a field life of over 20 years.
The field consists of two drilling centers Cygnus Alpha and Cygnus Bravo. The first consists of three platforms linked by bridges: a wellhead drilling center, a processing and utilities unit and a housing with a central control room. Cygnus Bravo, on the other hand, is an unmanned satellite platform about seven kilometers northwest of Cygnus Alpha.
The gas from the field is exported through a 51 kilometer pipeline. Cygnus is connected via the Esmond Transportation System pipeline to the Bacton gas processing terminal.
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