Serica Energy's Columbus field in the UK North Sea will see its first production start-up delayed due to restricted capacity at Shell's Shearwater platform.
The Columbus field development plan, approved in 2018, envisions the reservoir will be linked to the pipeline linking Shell’s Arran field and the Shell's Shearwater platform.
Arran and Columbus fluids will combine in the new pipeline and be produced together through to the Shearwater platform processing facilities.
The Columbus development area is located 35km northeast of Shell's Shearwater production platform and will be drained by a single producing well tied into the Arran pipeline. When the production reaches the Shearwater platform, the gas and liquids will be separated, and the gas exported via the SEGAL line to St Fergus and the liquids through the Forties Pipeline System to Cruden Bay.
Shell recently started production from the Arran field, but the Columbus will now have to wait some more.
Serica said Friday: "Shell have informed us that the Shearwater platform is currently operating at restricted capacity which will result in a delay to the start-up of Columbus production although it is still expected that first production will be achieved in Q4 this year."
As a result, Serica said its full-year net production is expected to be slightly lower than the current guidance of 23,000 to 25,000 boe/d.
Mitch Flegg, Chief Executive of Serica Energy, commented: "There will be no significant long-term impact resulting from this short delay to the Columbus start-up and I am pleased that the well is ready to produce as soon as the export system allows.
The result of this delay is that it is now likely that our full-year production will be slightly lower than our previous production guidance. Net Serica production has been strong during September and October, averaging over 26,000boe/d from our BKR and Erskine fields during a period of strong commodity prices.
The use of existing infrastructure to progress the development of Columbus reinforces the benefit of Serica's approach to providing much-needed low carbon gas for the UK."
Credit: Serica
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