Denmark's Maersk Oil has started drilling on the first production well for the Culzean high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) development in the UK North Sea.
Drilling started at 6pm on 28 September using Danish drilling firm Maersk Oil's Maersk Highlander jackup, through the wellhead platform (WHP) jacket and well access deck (WAD), which were installed in Spring this year.
The well is the first of six production wells to be drilled on Culzean. Continuous drilling activity is planned over the next five years.
The three topsides are due to be installed in 2018 and hooked up in 2019, with three of the six production wells due to be ready for first gas at that time. The WHP jacket and WAD were constructed in the Netherlands and Hartlepool, UK, with construction of the wellhead topsides are ongoing in Singapore. First gas is expected in 2019.
“This is an important milestone in ensuring that we can deliver Culzean on schedule, and with it 5% of UK gas demand in 2020/21,” says Gretchen Watkins, Chief Executive Officer designate, Maersk Oil.
The drilling campaign will be supported by more than 30 UK based well services companies.
Maersk Drilling and Maersk Oil have jointly prepared the drilling on a digital "virtual well", using a drilling simulator at Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University.
“Working on a virtual rig, designed to look and feel like the Maersk Highlander has been invaluable,” says Andrew Lough, Culzean’s Wells Delivery Manager.
“It has enabled us to prepare in a very lifelike environment for the drilling campaign, which will contribute to a safe and efficient drilling operation that will be an important milestone in developing the largest new field discovered in the UK North Sea for more than a decade.”
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