A £69million investment has boosted production from a North Sea gas field.
Spirit Energy has drilled a new well at the Chiswick field, adding up to 25million standard cubic feet of gas (mcf) to its daily output.
The field forms part of the Greater Markham Area (GMA) with the new well bringing its overall production to 50million cubic feet of gas per day – enough to power 427,000 UK homes.
Spirit Energy said the new well, C5Y, was brought online in July, with the Noble Hans Deul rig due to return later this year for work on another well which will boost production even further.
Girish Kabra, director of Spirit Energy’s North Sea Operated Assets said: “The Greater Markham Area is an important part of our business, and so our team has spent a lot of time looking for opportunities to build on these fields and add further production.
“Data from the newly drilled C5 well will help to screen further new opportunities in the Chiswick field.
“From exploration and appraisal wells, through development drilling and making sure we plug and abandon old wells, this year has been one of Spirit Energy’s most active in the North Sea and we are looking forward to returning to Chiswick later this year to carry out further work and potentially add additional barrels of production.”
GMA, on the UK-Dutch border, is comprised of the Markham, Chiswick, Grove and Kew fields.
The Markham J6A platform serves as the manned processing hub for the GMA.
The announcement comes just over two weeks after Spirit announced a £140million investment into its Chestnut field, around 125miles north-east of Aberdeen, aimed to extend production through to 2023.
Spirit Energy is headquartered in the UK, employing more than 900 people across main bases in Staines-upon-Thanes, Aberdeen, Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark.
The firm is 69% owned by Centrica, which earlier this year confirmed plans to divest its stake in Spirit by the end of 2020.